The Ghost and Shadow Moons
by Master Hexer
Summary: First came Shadow on the night of the black moon, now comes Phantom on the night of the ghost moon. When these two reunite after hundreds of years apart, what will it mean for the rest of the Archipelago? And when another person from the past comes to hunt the illusive Black Moon dragons, what will they all do to stay alive? Rival mates fight and enemies swoop in for the kill...
1. The Ghostly captive (prologue)

**For all those of you just starting now, I recommend that you read the first of the Saga, 'The Black Moon Dragon'. this is the second story that I have written in this universe, and everything will make more sense if you read that first. if you are one of my loyal readers who has been waiting for this sequel, I give you 'The Ghost and Shadow Moons'. second installment to the Saga of the Moons. I hope you enjoy what I have written and I cannot wait to see how this story unfolds.**

 **Now, onto the prologue...**

The gigantic ship was cold. Frigid like ice. The sparse lamps down the hallway of the brig did nothing to make it much warmer or brighter. Shadows ghosted down the hall while the sound of crashing waves slammed the outside of the hull. The boat rocked on the uneven swell, making it hard for anything not secured down to stay in the one spot.

The terrified guard slowly inched down the darkened corridor of the pirate ship, a dirty canvas sack secured to his hip, a lantern in his left hand and a sword in the other. Armed as he was, he was terrified. With his heart pounding away inside his chest, he made his way over to the most secure cell at the bottom of the boat.

Even if the prisoner never made a move against his captors, the crew were terrified that he would snap at them and fall into a fit of rage. He never said anything, did as he was instructed, but they feared him like they would fear a volatile and untamed animal.

The guard came to the heavy iron door separating the prisoner from himself, and he shakily grabbed the keys from his belt. The lantern was placed on a hook so he could keep the sword in his hand as an item of reassurance.

With a loud creak, the door swung open to expose the ghostly area within. And there he was. A human figure crouched in the centre of the room, shackled and secured to the walls and floor with the thickest chains they had. Around his waist was an iron band, bolted to the floor with two short chains. His wrists and ankles were covered in spiked shackles and they too were secured to the floor with chains.

But the most terrifying restraint had to be the collar around his neck. Made of toughened leather and iron, and fitted with five padlocks and thick chains to the walls around him. Two chains spaned the space to the guard's immediate left and right on the wall that kept him closed off from the rest of the ship. Two more chains were attached to the walls on either side of the prisoner, and the final one, the thickest and strongest of all, was resting slack against the back wall.

All five chains kept him stranded in the middle of the disgusting cell. The prisoner himself had skin so white, that when they captured him, they thought he was a ghost. By the light of the lantern, his pale skin glowed with a deathly sheen to it, but the rise and fall of his scared and muscular chest reassured the guard that he was still very much alive.

The young man's long and ragged black hair hid his face from view, and almost obstructed the leather and iron muzzle securing his mouth shut. The item was actually unnecessary, but the crew sought to put it on him for their own safety.

Shakily, the guard stepped into the cell, his sword outstretched towards the figure. The prisoner made no move against him, or any move at all. As instructed, the guard walked behind him, under all the chains and reached out for the muzzle around his face. After some fumbling around in the dark, the offending garment fell free from his face. The jailer froze in horror as the captive made a sudden move, a large gulp of air like he had been stuffed in a room of stale and rotting air. The air of the cell was still not much better, but to him it must have been like the fresh air of a morning breeze. The guard relaxed as he realised that the semi naked man in front of him was just taking large breaths.

Next came the hard bit. The chain secured to the back wall had to be removed. The keys rattled against the metal of the lock and collar as he worked to undo it. Finally, the chain came free. One less chain securing him, one less restriction to whip his head around and break the other chains.

But the prisoner didn't move at all. The jailer stepped around the figure and stood in front of him, sword pointed right at his face, while his other hand fumbled for the drawstring of the dirty sack secured at his hip. The bag finally came free and fell on the floor with a thump, and not wanting to get any closer to those exposed teeth and fangs, he kicked the bag towards him.

Now, the ghostly humanoid figure moved. Unhindered by the heavy chain he was able to lower his head towards the offering, and with his teeth alone, he ripped the bag open. Offcuts of raw meat and fish were exposed to him, from the crew's last meal no doubt. Without complaint, or any word said, the prisoner began to devour the raw and bloodied meat. His fangs tore through the offered flesh like a hungry lion, and his powerful jaws splintered any bone attached to the meat. In under five minutes, every scrap had been eaten, and his lips licked clean of blood. The creature growled appreciatively at the offering.

Shaking like a leaf in front of the carnivore, the jailer stepped forward to grab the torn sack, as well as the muzzle. He froze as he caught sight of the prisoner's eyes. A glowing and eerie silver, even in the dim light.

In fear, the jailer stepped back with the muzzle in hand, and quickly moved behind him to secure it over his face again. He never wanted to see the horror that was his eyes, or the sickening glint of fangs too long to sit normally in a human's mouth.

Swiftly, the guard fitted the muzzle back on, and locked the chain to the collar again so he couldn't move. The prisoner still made no move or sound, and it was scaring him, so as soon as his job was done, the man bolted out of the room and shut the door with a slam and the click of a lock.

Back inside the high security cell, the humanoid figure growled to himself. He was cold, uncomfortable, sick, weak and still hungry. It was far too soon to make an escape, and he couldn't as long as all those chains kept him locked up on the floor.

He knew, deep in his heart that the time was coming, for he had a vision, a dream that told him the future. A full moon, a winged shadow across the sky, blue fire and screams, then… freedom. He would patiently wait for that time, for his winged rescuer he was sure would come for him. The one his dream called the Shadow in the Night, the Living Shadow of Darkness. It would come to set him free, and when it did, the Ghost of the Dead, and Shadow of Darkness would be reunited to wreak havoc on the world of those who would stand against them.


	2. Black Moon dragon stats

**Hey everyone, I am currently in the middle of writing the next few chapters, but I thought that maybe I could give you all some information about the Black Moon dragon itself. This is my version of what would be written in the Book of Dragons on it, although it is far from complete. in this story that I am working on, it is set two years after the Outcast incident, and this is all the information collected so far. throughout this fanfiction, Hiccup will be having conversations and study time to fill in the gaps of info left here, which will answer absolutely everything about them in time. So here it is, everything recorded thus far on the Black Moon dragon. let me know if there is something missed here that you would like to see appear in the future.**

 _The Black Moon Dragon._

 _This deceptive dragon is even rarer than the Unholy offspring of Lightning and Death itself. The Black Moon is known by some as a demon straight from the deepest depths of hell, with the legendary capabilities and strength needed to kill gods. Although this is mere rumour, the Black Moons as a species take this very seriously and use it as a part of their own description. In the legend of the Night Fury, they are 'death itself' in dragon form, because of the god killing legend._

 _They are bigger and better than a Night Fury in every way, whether it be their wingspan, body length, firepower, strength or speed, but are still incredibly similar in stature. It walks on all fours, like its unholy offspring, and has two large wings separate to its forelimbs. It is covered from nose to tail in pitch black armoured scales, almost impenetrable, and completely fireproof. But unlike the Night Fury, it has silver scales on the underside of its wings to resemble a starry sky. It also has a longer neck, enabling it to twist its large head roughly 130 degrees in both directions. Doubled with a crown of horns on its head, similar in some ways to a Deadly Nadder, it has a total of seven horns on its head, six attached in pairs to the back of its skull, and one on the top of its nose like a sharpened battering ram. It also has a narrow snout, similarly shaped to a large dog, and a jaw that can open wide enough to cover the entire torso of a full grown man. They also have two sets of massive fangs, each of which can inject either venom, or anti-venom._

 _The body length is measured at 33 feet (10 meters), and the wingspan is recorded at 55 feet (16.7 meters), larger in size than a Night Fury, but with a similar body to wingspan ratio and manoeuvrability. Its top speed is 1300km/h, making it marginally faster than the Night Fury, the only other dragon that can break the sound barrier by traveling faster than the speed of sound._

 _The Black Moon also has another special ability which makes it extremely hard to find in the world. It is the only dragon in existence which has a secondary, human form. According to the Black Moon Dragon Society, it is their connection to the lunar cycles and their ability to transform from a human to a dragon and vice versa, which gives them their name, Black Moon, because it is at this time when the transformation takes place. They turn into humans during part of the lunar cycle, and during this time, they assimilate into human society to do as they please, survive, or wreak havoc._

 _For each dragon, the transformation is incredibly painful and can affect their intelligent minds, making them extremely volatile and dangerous. When they transform, they see every living thing as a threat to their lives and will attack on sight. It is best not to approach one during this time, or some hours afterward._

 _Their methods of attack include, powerful claw swipes, using their massive bladed tail as a whip, using their fangs and venom to poison their enemies, ramming and head-butting larger opponents, or using their fire blasts._

 _The Black Moon is the only dragon known that can use both fire and lightning breath attacks. It can emit a constant stream of blue fire like a Monstrous Nightmare, or an explosion of lightning like a Skrill, except it creates the lightning itself._

 _Compared to every other dragon, its abilities surpass them all. Their speed is unmatched, their strength unparalleled, venom concentration stronger than a Scaldron, with the high intelligence of a human. They might not have the size of a Red Death, but they are considered more a queen ranking dragon than them._

 _Attack: 20_

 _Speed: 24_

 _Armour: 20_

 _Firepower: 18_

 _Shot limit: 13_

 _Venom: 20_

 _Jaw strength: 9_

 _Stealth: 20_


	3. I dont want to leave

**Hello everyone, and thankyou for reading my second major fanfic. I'm sorry for the kinda late update, I was seriously struggling on how to start the whole story after I wrote the prologue. To be honest, I'm not entirely happy with this first chapter, but after plenty of attempts, this was the better version. I will add in the second chapter within 24 - 72 hours to try and make up for the lame chapter. This chapter was just to set the scene, but in the next one the story will begin to unfold.**

 **Please review and let me know how to improve.**

Far over the heads of every Viking on Berk, two black dragons glided on air currents. Their wings were fully extended to catch every wisp of breeze to keep them airborne, and they patiently waited for the right time. Hiccup as usual was on the back of Toothless the Night Fury, clad in his most recently made armour. His partner in flight, Shadow, glided next to him. Her Black Moon themed armour reshaped to accommodate for her wings and tail.

Human on dragon, flying next to a combination of both. They exchanged a look. Three. Two. One. They dived. Both Night Fury and hybrid Black Moon angled their bodies and shot towards the ground, letting gravity do the work. Despite being built for dives, Toothless was slow compared to Shadow who pulled ahead steadily.

Wind rushed through Hiccup's and Shadow's hair as they continued to plummet towards the ground. Shadow and Toothless narrowed their bodies further, picking up speed.

The ground was approaching, fast. Only a few hundred meters to impact, but Shadow pressed on, determined to make the turn as late as possible, while Toothless and Hiccup were getting ready to turn earlier.

With a hundred meters between them and the village, Toothless unfolded his wings and turned at a ninety degree angle to avoid crashing, still speeding along at a breakneck pace. Shadow on the other hand made no move to turn, and only when she was twenty meters from the ground did she suddenly changed her direction. With a powerful thrust from her wings, and flick of her tail, Shadow shot forward, level with the ground, speeding along at a few hundred kilometres an hour, continuously flapping to increase her speed.

After a few moments, they were back at each others sides, laughing at their little stunt.

"I beat you again Hiccup. Just admit it, that the Black Moon is superior to a Night Fury." She chortled. Hiccup laughed. "Never."

They both burst out laughing and continued to fly as fast as they dared around the island. Their friendly contests were something that they always did, and most of the time it was Shadow who won. Ever since she had regained her power from the Outcast Incident, she had been working hard to get her skill levels and strengths back up. Not only did she get back her old strength, but she improved drastically as well over those two years.

It was rough and often ended in bruises, but all of her effort had paid off. Shadow wasn't the only one that improved though, Hiccup had grown into a strong and capable young man with the help she gave him. In those two years, she had trained him and helped him develop into a lithe and agile fighter and taught him some of the styles she had learned while traveling the world. He was beginning to look more and more like a soldier, but added with his position as leader of the academy, he was more like a soon-to-be general.

Not only did they improve as individuals, and as a team, but the whole of Berk was improving too. The Villagers were learning to work together with their dragons to defend their home in case of attack, and Hiccup was creating more inventions to improve daily life. Shadow had even contributed, sharing her secrets of the known world, and teaching them new concepts to add to their lives.

Everything was a work in progress, but they held promise for great results.

After their flight around the island and surrounding sea stacks, Toothless signalled for lunch, and caught some for himself at Hiccup's approval. Shadow too caught her own fish, and they landed on one of the taller sea stacks for a break.

Even though Hiccup was seated on top of Toothless, Shadow was still incredibly tall. Standing next to her, she was still taller than him.

"Hiccup, I can't help but admit that life on Berk is starting to get a little boring. I mean, it's great that the village hasn't been attacked and there hasn't been a major earth shattering development in months, but I've gotten strangely attached to all the crazy events that's happened." She said. Hiccup sighed and nodded slowly.

They hadn't been attacked by anyone, but this is something that they didn't want to change, they hadn't had any wild dragon attacks, hadn't found any new species or new islands, making life too peaceful. It was driving them slowly nuts.

"I know Shadow, and frankly, I miss all that adventure as well. I wish we could go and pursue something, if just to keep us entertained."

All of the other dragon riders were affected by the peacefulness too, however, they had found ways to cope. Fishlegs was one of the major teachers of Berk's history and helped the younger generations, Snotlout had a job testing weapons for Gobber, the twins were training for their new job of dragon inspired weaponry (while under constant supervision), and Astrid was being offered a place in the Berk guard. Shadow had also been awarded the title of military officer, and was now responsible for training new soldiers. Hiccup was still the ruling commander of all things dragon related, but he longed for more, as did the others, but his sense of longing couldn't be stated with a job on Berk.

"Hiccup, I'd like to talk to you about something that has been bothering me… With things the way they are in Berk, and with me having full control over myself again and my half-form, there is beginning to be less and less reason for me to stay. When I first came here two years ago, I only stayed because I couldn't leave to continue my mission, and after the Outcast thing, I stayed because I needed help and guidance. But now, technically there isn't anything tying me to Berk anymore. If my superiors found out that I abandoned my mission and have been indulging myself with this life, they would be furious. I've been away from my purpose too long." She said sadly.

Hiccup could feel tears pricking the back of his eyes. He didn't think that after all this time that Shadow would be forced to leave. He rubbed his eyes to rid himself of the growing tears.

Shadow noticed, but didn't comment. "Hiccup, I'm afraid to say it, but if nothing happens in the next few weeks that requires me here, I may have to move on. I don't even know if I would come back after that if I'm honest."

One traitorous tear rolled down his face, and he angrily brushed it away. Shadow waled up to him and ran her clawed hands through his hair to try and make him feel better.

"I don't want you to have to leave." He whispered. "And I don't want to leave either. But I might have to in the future." After that, they sat there in silence mulling over their thoughts.

The two of them eventually sighed and launched back into the sky towards home.

Shadow didn't want to leave at all, but if anyone found out that she was abandoning her kind, being selfish and having a place for herself instead of helping find a place for them all, they would be absolutely furious with her. She shouldn't feel attached to any one place, but she did, so much in fact that she would do anything to stay. But if she would completely abandon her people for her selfish acts, she didn't know.


	4. the arival of Grey

**Well then, after the first kinda lame chapter, I had to make it better. So voila, here it is, chapter 2. just a warning, there is quite a bit of swearing in this chapter, but if you dont like that stuff, just keep the rating in mind. but anyway... here we go. the ball starts rolling now.**

Two weeks later, Hiccup was feeling more and more anxious. He feared that if something didn't happen, one of his best friends would leave him, and he struggled to comprehend just how big a hole there would be in his heart if she left.

So while he walked down to the docks with Toothless, he felt sullen. The Night Fury tried his best to talk him out of his nervousness, but he couldn't take away the source of his discomfort.

Down by the waters edge, a boat was docked and teaming with people, with happy sounds echoing towards his ears. Trader Johan was here for one of his visits. His boat was flowing with materials, supplies, trinkets and all sorts of things to trade and sell. Shadow had heard the commotion, and caught up to Hiccup as he strolled down. They exchanged a friendly greeting once she caught up to him, and the two of them went down onto the deck of the ship.

"Ah, master Hiccup. It's good to see you again young man. I hope your duties to your dragon academy haven't exhausted you." The overly cheery man said. Hiccup smiled.

"All is well actually, new recruits are joining, dragon training is going off without a hitch. Our new programs have improved in almost all aspects."

"Wonderful my boy. Now, while you are browsing the spoils of my latest trades, is there anything specific that I can help you find?"

Shadow stopped listening after that. She was glad that all was going well in the academy, and that all of Hiccup's hard work was paying off. As long as he had something keeping his mind occupied, he could do a great many things.

Without a word, Shadow moved around to the bow of the ship, inspecting some of the traders goods.

"My last stop had a bit more excitement than usual actually." She overheard. Shadow didn't know why, but she decided to listen in as she felt a pile of fabrics on display.

"A strange fellow appeared while I was there. None of the locals had seen him before, and quite a lot of them completely detested the man. He gave off a dangerous aura, scared off some of my best customers. I cant really complain too much though, after he paid me for a service, I ended up making enough money to compensate for those lost traders. He still scares me though."

Shadow's interest peaked ever so slightly, mainly because there wasn't much else interesting going on. However, as the breeze continued to blow, she got a whiff of something that made her suspicious. It was faint, but she could have sworn she remembered it from somewhere.

"The man asked if I would help him get to the islands further north, and paid quite handsomely for it too. He wont exactly tell me why he wanted to come up north, said he was hunting something actually. As a business man, I know the value of hunting spoils, and I hope that when I drop him off that he remembers me and trades in his spoils of the hunt."

The scent was getting stronger and more defined, and it was setting Shadow on edge. Where had she smelt that before? Burnt meat, charcoal and soot, the sharp scent of steel, and traces of blood. She could swear she knew that scent.

Footsteps echoed all over the deck of the ship, but Shadow's sensitive ears twitched as she detected a new set. Whoever they were, they didn't come from the docks. No, they came from below decks, but didn't trader Johan man the ship himself? It must have been the mysterious hunter he spoke of. Now why did that strike a chord with her?

The heavy footsteps got even closer while Hiccup and Johan talked. Whoever they were, they arrived on deck and walked towards them.

"Johan, just so you know. After I finally track down that monster and kill it, nothing will remain of its carcass." Growled the stranger.

Shadow's head shot up. She knew that voice. She shot around so fast that a normal person would have gotten whiplash. Her eyes instantly locked onto the stranger who spoke. No, not a stranger, she knew exactly who that was.

"YOU!" She screamed. His head snapped to where she was standing, and his eyes narrowed in pure anger.

Faster than any other one else could react, he unsheathed a dagger and ran towards her with a bellow of rage. Shadow roared and galloped towards him with a look of pure hatred, teeth bared and snarling.

Hiccup couldn't move, he could only watch as the two ran towards each other, determined to kill the other. They smashed into each other with massive force and immediately, the onslaught began. The hunter swiped and slashed with his dagger, and Shadow raked her claws over him, and used her tail to thrash him.

Growls and snarls sounded in the vicinity, and blood began to drip from fresh wounds. After what seemed like forever, Hiccup ran towards the roaring gladiators to pull them apart. He bravely wedged himself between the two and pushed the snarling fighters away from each other, forcefully stating that they stop.

Shadow fought against his restraint, and continued to roar at her aggressor, the older man egged her on and dared her to try again.

"Enough!" Hiccup roared above them. Shadow snarled once more and then silenced her excessive growls, but she was in no way done with him however. The hunter, impressed with the sheer volume and power of the young mans lungs, halted his curses.

"Now I don't know whats going on between you two, but here is not the place to deal with it. Both of you, off the boat. Now!" he commanded.

The hunter moved first, while Shadow waited. After a few tense moments, the three of them were on more solid ground, Toothless was watching them both closely.

"Now, will one of you tell me how it is exactly that you know each other." Said Hiccup in a calm voice. Shadow spoke before the hunter could. "I'll tell you how I know him. This is the bastard that tried to bury me alive!" She spat. "Locked in a box, ten feet under, meant to be a slow and torturous death, limited air supply. For five days!" she yelled.

"And you deserved it too, after that rescue stunt you pulled. You deserved everything we did to you, because of what you did a lot of innocent people died."

"Innocent my ass! How many of those people had you killed before I even showed up? By comparison, I had barely scratched the surface of your cults number of kills. I did those people a favour."

"I knew I should have killed you myself when I had the chance, you disgusting excuse for a skink. You slithering, traitorous snake! I should kill you now for what you did."

"Hold it assface, you still got hell to pay before you can keep cashing in. You deserve to die for torturing me and burying me alive. No, you deserve way more than that. Do you know what I had to do to survive for those five days? I had to resort to eating myself! I had to wait it out until I could escape, but I would have died from hunger before that thanks to you!" Shadow spat with pure fury. Every single muscle in her body was tense like a wound up spring. She was mere seconds away from snapping by the looks of it.

"You know what I'm going to do to make you pay for that?" She growled lowly. "I might just eat _you!_ " She snarled. Shadow opened her jaws to their fullest extent, her fangs protruding like daggers from her mouth.

Hiccup threw himself in front of her, never having seen her so angry at one person before. She was terrifying. "Hey, woah. No one is killing or eating anybody ok?"

Hiccup knew that Shadow had some seriously messed up things happen in her past, and this one had to go in the top ten. Suspiciously, he rounded on the stranger that caused the scuffle in the first place.

"Who are you and where do you come from, and what are you doing here?" he demanded.

For the first time in twenty or so minutes, he actually got a good look at who he was talking to. The first thing he noticed, he was old. Like, in his fifties. But he was muscular and strong, maybe not as buff as some Vikings, but muscular enough to be considered a person that you shouldn't mess with. His head was still full of hair, however it was a very neutral grey colour. He wore a sort of light armour, but with flannel and fleece clothing underneath for the cold. Everything about him was set in the same colour pallet. Deep, dark, brooding grey.

The grey man was armed with a large number of knives around his belt, as well as a massive two handed sword and a sickeningly powerful crossbow. Everything about him screamed at Hiccup that he was a seasoned killer, and possibly a damn good hunter.

"Forgive my rudeness. I am Grey. I come from a castle of Knights in the land of Romania. And I have been hunting my quarry for some time." He answered with a shit-eating grin.

"If you have come for Shadow, I'm afraid you will have to get through the entirety of Berk to get to her. She is a part of our Clan, and we will protect her as such." Stated Hiccup firmly. "No one touches my Shadow." He whisper growled. Grey started laughing.

"Don't wet your trousers boy, I wasn't out rightly seeking her. Although she still is on my hit list. I'm hunting another one of her kind. So you don't have to worry about me putting down your little pet. At least not right now." He sneered.

There were two things that struck a chord within her, and that comment about her being a pet angered her to no end. Hiccup couldn't do anything to stop her right hook. Her closed fist made solid contact with his face with a loud smack. His head snapped to one side.

"Don't you ever claim that I am someone's _pet_. I belong to no one. People belong to me." She stated. Grey jut grinned. "Oh, my bad. So what is he to you then, your paramour?" Shadow socked him in the face again.

"You have no idea who you just insulted did you. Hows this for a title, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third, heir to the throne of Berk, and future chief… I _dare_ you, call him a man whore again." She spat with fury.

Grey spat at her feet, his thick saliva mixed with blood. Shadow snarled at him. "Now tell me, who is it that you are hunting?" she demanded. Grey chuckled to himself as he replayed a few past memories.

"Can't remember what he's called, and I don't care either. But his calling card had something to do with ghosts. As soon as i get a hold of him, he's going to be one."

Shadow glared at him for a long while, struggling to keep herself in check. Her self-control was winning, but she detested seeing that filth of a man in front of her.

"Hiccup, give an order. I want him off this island and as far away from here as possible. Now."


	5. Dagur has escaped

**Hey everyone, sorry for the kinda late update. School work and all has been keeping me busy. Now, just so you know, these chapters take place in the 'Race to the Edge' series of HTTYD, the only problem is, I dont have Netflix. So all the information I am basing my chapters off is from the episodes I have been able to watch on Youtube. All of those are really shit quality, and I only take notes on the basic storyline of each chapter. Anyway, a warning for a few chapters ahead (which are still being written), there will be scenes of very steamy romance and kissing and intimacy. Do not fear, there will be no sex scenes... just a lot of heat and intensity with kisses. hehehe. but that doesnt come for a little while yet. This chapter is to really get the ball rolling. Please review. :D**

Hiccup watched as Shadow paced back and forth in his room. Her tail was swishing back and forth like an agitated cat, while she mumbled curses under her breath in as many languages as she could speak. She was as restless as a caged animal.

Hiccup had never seen her get so angry at one person before, not in a long time, and definitely not to that degree. The moment she set her sights on the hunter, Grey, she had roared in absolute fury and jumped at him like she was going to tear him apart. But after what Shadow told him on what happened, he supposed he couldn't blame her.

He knew that Shadow had suffered many horrific things in her life, and couldn't blame her for getting enraged when she saw him, but the fight that ensued in the docks had made people wary of her again. Every time she relapsed, it took everyone a while to stop being so tense around her, and it had been months since the last one. He thought that her anger and animalistic relapses were taken care of, but apparently not.

Sometimes Hiccup forgot that she wasn't a real human, he forgot that there was a lot of dragon in her. He shook his head at his own stupidity. It was as if he thought he could tame a dragon to renounce every part of its being and behave like a human, no matter what, it would still be a dragon. And dragons were dangerous.

Shadow had been pacing for about half an hour by now, and Hiccup was getting dizzy from watching her, so he sighed and stood up then made his way towards her. Without a word, he walked right into her and put his arms around her, being mindful of her wings, and hugged her. She stiffened at the gesture, but soon relaxed, and even wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.

Despite her being partly a cold blooded animal, Hiccup noticed that she was actually quite warm, and tightened his grip on her to feel closer to that warmth. Even the scales on her shoulder were soft, despite their tough and sharp appearance. He continued to hug her for a few minutes, letting the anger flow out her before speaking.

"You don't need to worry about him anymore, he left the island with trader Johan yesterday. Johan was told to drop him off on the next island he came to and leave him there. He won't be coming back here." He said softly.

As he spoke, he laid his cheek on top of her shoulder, with his face buried in the crook of her neck. Shadow tightened her grip on him, and subconsciously flexed her claws into his back, but he dint deem to mind.

"It's just been thirty years since I saw Grey last, even now it is too soon. What he did has haunted me for years, and I wont soon forget it. I just hopped that I would never set my sights on that monster again." She sighed. "Funny isn't it, that the worst monsters don't have scales, wings and claws, but are hidden within the hearts of regular people."

He could feel her shaking now, and nuzzled her neck in an attempt to make her feel better. She responded positively and gently nuzzled him back, purring slightly from the affection.

The two of them just stood there in each-other's arms, absorbing the warmth the other gave off, and secretly loving the way the other person's body fit perfectly in their arms. Hiccup continued to nuzzle into Shadow's neck, enjoying the feeling of intimacy probably a bit too much, and wondered to himself what it would fell like to press his lips against her pulse.

But sadly, Shadow's grip on him loosened and she slowly pulled away before he could. He let his hands trail down her bare arms, touching the surprisingly soft scales there, as she pulled away. He held onto her clawed hands and looked into her eyes, showing the care and dedication he gave her in his own deep, and expressive eyes.

She dropped her gaze from him and looked at the floor. "There was something else. Something Grey said… He's hunting another one of my kind." She said.

"I cant let him roam around, trying to kill one of my own kind. Our numbers are already low enough… but I don't know what I can do to find the other Black Moon." She said softly.

"Well, we can always get the team together and expand our search barriers, explore surrounding islands. Or we could go into some of the other villages and keep an eye out for him. But he could be anywhere and we have no way to track him." He said.

Shadow nodded in understanding. There truly wasn't much she or they could do, but Hiccup was willing to help however he could anyway. Sometimes she thought to herself that she must be dreaming, for whoever could care so much for a monster? Surely not Hiccup, but he kept proving her wrong.

He gently held Shadow's hand in his and brought it up to his lips, then placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. A small violet blush dusted her cheeks, but it went away quickly. Hiccup only just noticed, and gave a little lopsided smile.

It was some days later that they got an alert. Trader Johan was found and brought to Berk, wailing about how his ship and loot were stolen. As soon as they got to the details, they realised just how dire his robbery meant.

Dagur had escaped from prison and was assembling an armada. Not only that, but Grey, who had been on board the ship when it was attacked, decided to join the escaped Berserkers in their quest to hunt dragons. The minute that all the details were gathered from the flustered and crying trader, the Riders of Berk assembled in the arena.

Hiccup was leaning over a table covered with the largest map of the world they could find, with Shadow standing to his right, and Astrid to his left, the rest of the riders were strewn around the table leaning in as he spoke.

"Ok, here's what we need to do. Trader Johan gave me the location for his stored goods and wares, some place known as the Ship Graveyard. That's were Dagur and his men are heading so they can take whatever they find and use it to invest in a new fleet. We have to get to that location and try and stop him from getting started so he can't wreak havoc on everything.

We head North-East to the Graveyard, and if we can, save Johan's treasures and keep them from getting into Dagur's hands. Our main objective is to capture Dagur and his crew and incapacitate them, with minimal casualties. I want Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut to search the wreckages, while Astrid and Snotlout provide cover from the air." He commanded. Everyone nodded at his orders. Then he turned to Shadow.

"I want you to fly overhead once we get there, completely out of sight and double back over the areas we check. You are to remain completely invisible and to keep an eye out for Dagur's arrival if we end up getting there first. Only engage if necessary." Shadow nodded at her commander.

She then walked over to a large area of ground and crouched down on all fours, willing the transformation to commence. It had taken almost two years to perfect this, and even now, she was still learning and stretching the capabilities of her forms, but now she had developed the ability to change at will.

Her body grew in size, and scales morphed over her skin. Her neck and face lengthened and her bones reformed from bipedal to quadruped. Her horns lengthened, as did her wings and tail, and soon, the transformation was complete. Thankfully it was a lot less painful than before.

Hiccup smirked while she changed, watching the muscle shift and reform. Once she was done, her massive dog-like head swung towards him, her silver eyes expressing her thoughts.

" _Smug bastard, watching a girl while she changes. What would your father think?_ " She growled in the dragons tongue. The rest of the riders mounted their dragons and headed for the gate.

" _Don't think I've forgotten you leaving yourself out of the mission brief. What do you plan to be doing while everyone is completing their task?_ "

"Johan told me about a particular ship, the Reaper. Said it was covered excessively in traps. Almost killed him when he tried to venture on board once. I'm thinking that there has to be something very important on that ship that someone wanted to hide. If we beat Dagur there, I want to check it out." He said to her.

Shadow huffed and growled a warning, not to needlessly risk his life for something that may not be important. " _Nothing is more important, neither treasure nor knowledge, none is worth more than your life. Don't gamble it away_."


	6. the Ship Graveyard

**Heheheh, here we go. the story is really getting started now. Hiccup isnt so predictable at all anymore. How well will this go down? I'll tell you this, something bad happens next. hehehehe. Will Shadow get there in time to save the Dragon riders from drowning, and will Hiccup defeat Dagur before he escapes? Find out next chapter... please leave a review :D**

The dragon riders flew for hours on the wind currents, speeding away on strong wings. Most of the time they spent in silence, mentally preparing for any battle that might take place. By the time they arrived at the ghostly graveyard, the gloom of twilight had taken over. Toothless and Shadow blended seamlessly in the cover of night, their wingbeats almost silent. The others did not blend so perfectly, but at Shadow's command, they flew as quiet as they could.

They circled the area once, but they found no sight of Dagur and his men. They had arrived first. Hiccup called them to land on a large, broken ship where the mast had been snapped clean off, plenty of room for them and the dragons to stand next to each other.

"There's no sign of Dagur, meaning we got here first. So we put the recovery plan in action. Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, I want you to check the cargo holds of the surrounding ships. Astrid and Snotlout, you know the drill. Provide cover for those three. Shadow, double back and protect our flank, search the surrounding waters for Dagur, but do not engage. You are our sentry and last line of defence. Understood?"

Everyone nodded. But before they could move, there was a crash and the boat rocked. Gigantic eels slithered up out of the water, baring their needle-like teeth. The dragons went into a frenzy of shock and fear, roaring and squawking in fright at these monstrous creatures. The dragon riders screamed as these living nightmares rocked the boat and tried to pull it under, then they screamed in horror as their dragons left them.

Not even Shadow's demanding roars could stop them. The eels coiled themselves around the figurehead, and used their massive weight to pull the ship's bow under the waterline. The ship started to sink. Toothless and Shadow, the only remaining dragons, fired upon the nightmarish creatures, sending them scuttling away into the darkened depths. The boat continued to rock on the water for a few minutes before it finally stopped.

The dragons were gone. Hiccup sighed. "Ok, change of plans. Astrid, you go with the twins, and Snotlout goes with Fishlegs. While they check the cargo holds, you stay up on deck as a lookout. Shadow, your new mission is to track down the dragons and bring them back. Got it?"

Everyone nodded again, but were fearful since they didn't have their loyal, protective dragons to watch over them. Quickly, they broke off into groups and went to search to surrounding ships.

Shadow turned her horned head towards Hiccup and Toothless, warning them to stay safe. Then she unfolded her wings, took a few running paces, and launched into the air.

Shadow searched and searched for the missing dragons, but they had scattered at the sight of the eels. They were everywhere, those hellish creatures, but Shadow flew too high for them to reach. The large Black Moon chose a direction, and flew over in search of the dragons. Unbeknownst to her, Dagur was down wind, and slowly creeping up on the unsuspecting lot.

.

.

.

Hiccup and Toothless stood in front a desk in the captain's quarters of the Reaper, where an armoured skeleton of the long dead captain sat, clutching a mysterious object. Hiccup was fascinated by it, despite not knowing what it was, and Toothless was wary for any traps surrounding it.

Cautiously, Hiccup approached the item, flicking off the skeletonised hand and gently supporting it from beneath. As soon as he removed it from its pedestal, he froze. He waited, nothing happened. Nothing moved.

"Phew, that could have been WORSE!"

Slam, an axe came out of nowhere, imbedding itself where his hands had been a moment before. From everywhere, traps were triggered, aimed at right where he was standing. In an instant, he was on Toothless's back and running for their lives.

Jumping over iron spikes, dodging crossbow bolts, and avoiding hidden bear traps under their feet. Hiccup had no idea if he was going to make it, and prayed to every god that he and Toothless would survive.

Finally, the two burst out of the hatch they came in through and slammed it shut. The two sighed in relief.

"There you are Hiccup!"

Looking up, he was met face to face with the last person he wanted to meet. Dagur the deranged. And boy, he looked horrible. The mad glint in his eyes was far more noticeable, and he now had a beard. Sheesh, he thought, he's hideous.

"Hiccup, my brother, so nice to see you again. I've been thinking about you for the last three years." He said with glee. But as soon as he spoke again, his tone darkened considerably. "Three years in which I was locked up in prison for."

Dagur then took a step to the side, revealing a metal cage containing the other dragon riders. Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Thankfully, Shadow was nowhere to be seen.

"Now then, since we now know what we are playing for, how about you give me all the gold and jewels, plus whatever it is you are hiding behind your back, and I'll let you have your friends here and leave peacefully." he bargained.

Astrid spoke up from the cage. "Just give him what he wants Hiccup, we can always fight him later."

Angrily Hiccup handed over the cylindrical item. Dagur grinned like a madman and inspected the device. "Wow, such amazing craftsmanship. I wonder what it is. I'm surprised you didn't put up more of a fight. It's so unlike you brother."

Hiccup growled lowly, surprising the madman. "I'm not your brother."

Dagur scoffed, then ordered his men to retreat to their own ship. As soon as they were over the rails, Hiccup ran to the cage to unlock it. The metal lock didn't budge in any direction. Toothless even fired a plasma blast at the lock, but nothing happened, the metal cooled within seconds with no damage or warping to it at all.

Ok then, so it was made from dragon-proof steel. That's new. Fishlegs was fascinated by it. "Hiccup, don't worry about us. Shadow will be here soon and can bust it open. Go after Dagur before he escapes." Yelled Astrid.

Hiccup nodded and mounted the saddle, taking off in a hurry. Dagur hadn't gotten very far away, so he caught up in seconds. He heard Dagur scream at his men to fire, and the catapult on board launched a giant boulder towards him.

Hiccup smirked as he and Toothless expertly dodged. "You missed." He taunted. "Oh did I?" came Dagur's snarky reply. Too late did he realised that the projectile wasn't really aimed at him. The boulder smashed into the hull of the Reaper with a sickening crack. The ship started sinking.

"Whats it going to be Hiccup? Heroically save your friends, or come and catch me?" he yelled over the rider's screams.

But if there was one thing that Hiccup learned in the last two years from Shadow, is that you can always make your own third option. A deadly glint flashed in Hiccup's eyes, like a wild dragon realising its prey was caught.

He opened his mouth and roared. The thunderous noise echoed around the broken ships, startling everything close by at the sheer volume and intensity. Far off into the distance, Shadow heard his call, and ruched to where he was.

Hiccup didn't wait a second longer, and directed Toothless into dive at the escaping ship. Dagur had never expected Hiccup to be able to make a roar of that ferocity, and was stunned for a few moments while it echoed around in his brain, but he was stunned again as the so called predictable Hiccup went forward in attack. He had been counting on the little runt to save his friends.

Dagur bellowed at his men to attack.


	7. Hiccup's been captured

Shadow heard the call from about a kilometre away, and knew that Hiccup was in trouble. With a roar of her own, she called to the dragons wherever they were hiding that their riders were in danger, then she sped off at top speed towards the origin of the call. Her wings pumped as fast as she could make them, and she sped through the air at top speed. The riders were in danger. It took Shadow a few minutes to reach the Reaper, the origin of Hiccup's call, but Hiccup wasn't there, and the ship was sinking.

The riders instantly saw her due to her pitch black scales, and screamed at her for help. Trapped in a dragon-proof cage, on a boat slowly going under, with no way to escape. Shadow reacted on instinct, and shot towards the cage. Her claws sunk deeply into the deck, rooting her to the spot under the cage, while it tipped over at a sharp angle. It felt like she clinging to the side of a cliff. Looking down, Shadow saw those disgusting giant eels, waiting for their pray to come within reach for them to feast.

Shadow's fireblast sent them retreating, for now. Turing her head hack to the problem at hand, she could see that the cage was strongly made from a material she had only seen once before. Igniting the fire in her lungs and building a swell of flammable gas, Shadow's chest grew hotter and hotter, while the gaps between her scales glowed a midnight blue. The dragon riders got as far away from the lock as they could, before she blasted it with white hot and blue fire. The riders screamed at the close proximity to the flames, which burned and blistered exposed skin. Shadow stopped immediately. She needed a new plan.

With a growl, she chomped her powerful jaws over the lock and bars and pulled. Only some heat remained in the metal now, but it was warped from the heat. This time, she held the fire in her mouth while the cage bars were trapped in her teeth. After a few powerful tugs, the lock broke off. Shadow spat out the lock and used her head to gesture to her back. One by one, the riders climbed on. Astrid up the front, sitting on her neck. Ruffnut behind her, on her strong shoulders. Fishlegs held onto whatever he could as he sat behind the female twin, right next to the wing joints. Snotlout and Tuffnut jumped on behind him and held onto each other.

Straining with the weight, Shadow struggled to take flight and escape the needle teeth of the giant eels. She was not meant to carry this many people, in fact, she had never carried anyone on her back before. She wasn't used to carrying any weight. She needed the other dragons now, then she could find out what happened to Hiccup. Shadow let out an echoing roar, calling the dragons to her aid, as she slowly began to descend despite her restless flapping.

Finally, the dragons arrived, and one by one, they flew in a straight line below her while their riders jumped off onto their respective saddles. Finally free from the overbearing weight of the teens, Shadow could search for the duo. Toothless' loud fearful screeches filled the air some way away, and Shadow sped off without a second thought. As soon as she came within range, her powerful eyes picked up movement from the water.

Toothless was struggling to stay above the water, while being attacked by those nightmarish eels. Hiccup was nowhere in sight. Thinking quickly, Shadow built up an electrical charge in her mouth, and suddenly, a burst of lightning burst forth from her jaws at the sea serpents, sending them scuttling away in terror, or making them twitch while death came upon them. The rest of the dragons came over to help, and together, they lifted the waterlogged Night Fury out of the freezing depths, and away from the eels. The saddle was empty. Hiccup was gone.

With complete disregard for his weight, Shadow immediately picked up Toothless and made him lay on her back mid-flight. His scales were freezing. " _Where is Hiccup?_ " she roared in the dragon's tongue.

" _Captured, by Dagur. He's on board their ship_." Came Toothless' saddened reply.

When Shadow turned her horned head to where the boat was swiftly disappearing, she could indeed see Hiccup. He was being held by two large men with a knife to his throat, covered in bruises, and blood dripping from a split lip. Shadow knew there wasn't any hope for a rescue now. Her instincts told her to run, regroup, and fix injuries. Unfortunately, Hiccup had to wait. She was the leader of the group now by default, and her duty to the entirety of the group came first. Swiftly, Shadow reviewed what happened in her mind.

Hiccup was in the hands of the enemy, and would surely be killed if they attacked now. He was in a high danger zone, and his life was on the line. Toothless had survived a near drowning and if he didn't get help soon, he would get sick. A downed Night Fury was something they couldn't have. Toothless came first in this situation, Hiccup had to wait to be rescued. She only hoped he could hold out that long and forgive her for making him second place.

" _We need to get Toothless back to Berk and get him fixed up. He wont be any good to us if he gets sick. But we cant leave Hiccup in Dagur's clutches for long. I fly back to Berk, you follow that ship from a safe distance, track it to their next stop and wait for my return. Do not engage unless you want to put Hiccup's life at risk._ " She ordered with absolute command to the dragons and their riders.

"We don't know if Hiccup can last that long in the hands of Dagur, and it will take you hours to get there and back. Twelve hours there and twelve hours back, ten if you fly fast. That's twenty hours of suffering the wrath of that madman. He cant wait that long." Cried Astrid, the new second in command.

Shadow growled in challenge. " _It will take me ten hours or less to get there even with Toothless, and six hours back at my top speed. Follow that ship and wait for my return. I'll be back within sixteen hours._ "


	8. a demon amongst mortals

**Ok dokay, I have been wanting to write something like this for ages, and it has finally come. yay! this is where Shadow gets to use one of her 'disguises' to fool unsuspecting humans. I just want to make it clear, throughout the time in which Dagur was not in prison, and the dragon riders fought him, he had never seen Shadow or any of her forms. She was helping on the sidelines of those battles, or in the shadow's themselves. Shadow doesnt let anyone not from Berk see her multiple forms, and does her best to stay hidden normally. After I wrote the last chapters or so I realised that I got some of the timing messed up. in the show, Dagur was locked up for three years, in this one it is less than two. but anyway, on with the show... Please leave a review with your thoughts.**

Shadow returned in fourteen and a half. Her speed was unparalleled by any other dragon, even despite the weight of carrying Toothless on her back all the way to Berk. She raced after the dragon riders like a starved animal on the hunt. By the time she finally made it, she was tired and puffed out. But despite her long and laborious flight, she was ready to wreak havoc on the Berserker Chief.

It was roughly nine thirty at night when she caught up to the dragon riders on a large-ish island North of the Ship Graveyard. As soon as she touched down silently on the ground in the middle of their camp, she willed herself to change into her half-form.

Astrid approached her. "We've been watching their camp for hours and searched the island as best we could. Hiccup and Dagur are inside the only cave on the island. As far as we can tell, there is only one way in or out, which is heavily guarded. The dragons tell us that they can hear horrible sounds coming from that cave, meaning that Hiccup is being tortured." She said as if speaking to a military captain.

Shadow nodded stiffly at her report, and asked that she lead her to their vantage point where they have been watching the camp. What she saw made her grit her sharp teeth. There were men everywhere, at least fifty, all carrying weapons and on high alert. They were securely guarding the entrance to a large cave, and if Shadow strained her ears, she could hear the sounds of cracking leather, and cries of pain.

She growled in suppressed rage. Hiccup was being whipped. "We need to get inside, and we only have one point of entry. This isn't going to be easy."

"The situation seems hopeless. We cant mount a full scale attack on the cave entrance. If Dagur hears, he might very well kill Hiccup before we even get inside. There is no way we can just walk through the front door." Said Fishlegs.

Not only that, but they were expecting an attack. The only way they could get inside is if they were _let in_. and there was no way that could happen, maybe if they were scared enough…

The gears started turning in Shadow's head. If the only way in was to be _invited_ and the only way for that to happen was to use fear, then what could they use to provoke enough fear. What did these people fear above all else that they had at their disposal?

Suddenly, and idea came to mind and Shadow grinned evilly. "I might have a plan, but its risky."

"Whats the plan?" asked Snotlout who came to join them at the vantage point. "What is the one thing," Shadow answered, "That all men fear?"

After a few moments of silence she spoke again. "Do you fear the wrath of your gods?" they nodded, not understanding. Shadow smirked cunningly. "Would you say these people would be afraid if a demon swooped in and demanded they return her property?"

Ten minutes later, the riders sat in a circle making a white ash paste, as well as black charcoal paste to use as war paint. Shadow's skin was being covered in the ash to make her look ghostly pale, while the black charcoal was added to make designs on her face and body. Even her wings were covered in ghostly patterns. Once they were finished, Shadow looked like a true demon from Hel. Her black hair was spiked and slicked back away from her face, her face a stark white from the ash, with dark shadows around her eyes and angry black tear lines from her eyes to her face. Her arms were covered too, like white sleeves, and her painted white chest dipped into an arrow shape to where it disappeared under her signature black cloak.

She looked like the embodiment of evil, and her dragon features made her look monstrous. The Berserkers would never stand a chance.

Once she was ready, Shadow transformed into her dragon form, the ash paint still visible on her scales, creating the illusion of a war painted dragon beast. Then she took off into the air, and the riders and their dragons raced to the vantage point to watch.

Shadow flew over the temporary camp with an angry roar. Instantly, all the guard's eyes were upon her, and they stood frozen in fear at the sight of her. Her powerful wings beat, sending the flames of their fires to flicker wildly. Some of them tried to fire arrows at her gigantic form, but the heat of her flames disintegrated them with ease.

Finally, after she was sure she had them all captivated, Shadow shot fire at the ground a hundred meters from the cave, driving them away from that area. With a crash that shook the earth, Shadow landed in front of them, engulfed by the flames as they dies down. Then she changed. Her body went from quadruped to bipedal and her scales faded away, replaced with white skin and war paint. Her face and head shrank into a human skull, while her horns remained the same, situated proudly on her head like a crown. Her wings shrank to a more manageable size for her smaller form, and her tail shortened. Her claws remained long and sharp, and her teeth were too long to sit in her mouth properly, giving her a vampire-like appearance. But her eyes entranced them the most, glowing with the light of a full moon like a beacon in the dark.

No one made a move as she shifted, but many were shaking at this supposedly godly creature before them.

As the flames died down, she stepped forward slowly and deliberately, like a queen amongst peasants. She never made eye contact with anyone except the man in front of her. Savage, if she recalled correctly.

" _Is this the way you treat a goddess from Hell? How disrespectful. Bow to me, mortal._ " She said in a deadly commanding tone. Immediately, the soldiers around her bowed in respect. Savage did not. " _I said_ bow!" she snarled. Savage flinched at the power in her voice, and slowly lowered himself to one knee and dipped his head. Shadow took a few steps closer, and all but growled, " _Lower._ "

Fearing the demon's wrath, he lowered himself so his face was mere centimeters from the ground. Shadow raised a foot and planted it on his shoulder and drove his face into the dirt without a care or a single twitch in her facial expression.

" _I have come to reclaim something of mine. A young man descendant of the Haddock lineage. Where is he, and why did he come to you?_ " she growled.

Fearfully, Savage mumbled his response. That Hiccup was with his leader inside the cave. He warned the demoness that Dagur wished not to be disturbed, but she disregarded his warning. She demanded his opinion, did he think her weak?

Sniffling in terror at his unknown fate, he showered her with all the compliments he could muster, in an attempt to please this demon. But to his great relief, sort of, she simply walked over him towards the cave, determined to be reunited with her property.


	9. a demon's property

**Woo, finally, got to this part. I've been wanting to write this for a while. now I've finally done it. hehehehe, the ext chapter is going to get really steamy, I have been playing around with the next scene in my head for days, and I think that this will be great. Warning though, the next scene will contain steamy romance and some domination between characters. As for this chapter, Shadow gets to show a more deadly and dangerous side of herself, and looses herself because of Hiccup I am not completely happy with the ending, but it was the best i could do in the time i have... Enjoy. Please review :)**

 _Crack_ went the whip against tender flesh. _Crack_ it went again, over and over in the gloomy cave. With every blow, the prisoner groaned in pain, yet refused to give in to his tormentor. Blood trickled down his back from the gashes inflicted by the whip, and his breathing was raged from the pain.

"I have to say Hiccup, you have grown quite resilient. I expected you to break after the fifth hour of this, but no. I'm impressed." Smirked Dagur as he circled his prey. Hiccup's hands were bound in front of him, and he was clad in nothing but his leggings, which were slowly absorbing the blood dripping onto the fabric. His bare chest was heaving.

Hiccup looked directly into Dagur's eyes and growled lowly like an animal. Dagur recoiled half a pace at the sheer ferocity in his eyes and the venom in his throaty growl. He rewarded Hiccup with another lash from the whip, this time aimed at his shoulder and chest. Hiccup grit his teeth and refused to make any sound regarding pain or discomfort.

"Now, back to where we were before…" said Dagur. He walked over to a small table placed in the cave, and retrieved the cylindrical device stolen from the Reaper. "I want you to tell me what this is. And while you are at it, why not tell me any and all secrets you have about Berk and your dragons."

Hiccup snarled in anger. "I will not tell you anything." Another crack of the whip.

"Pity, I was hoping I would get something useful out of you before I finally decided to end your life." He then raised the whip again, this time aiming for his face, but a feral roar made him freeze.

The two young men looked towards the entrance of the cave, and gasped. Standing there, Dagur saw a monstrous creature, with the body of a young woman with pale white skin and black war paint over her hands, chest and face, combined with giant black wings roughly twenty feet at their furthest point. Her head was crowned with horns arching back away from her face, made from beautiful white ivory. Her tail flicked back and forth agitatedly as she glared right at him.

Dagur recoiled so much that his back hit the furthest wall of the cave away from her. She was beautiful, yet so monstrous and deadly. A demon.

But in Hiccup's mind, he saw his saviour, presented in a flawless disguise. He struggled to his feet and over to her, then without a word or her urging, he bowed at her feet.

"My lord…" he whispered, loud enough for Dagur to hear.

Unbeknownst to Dagur, Hiccup and Shadow had planned this sort of thing out many months ago. After the incident with the Outcasts two years ago, they had worked out a system, where if she presented herself as literal demon in front of their enemies, Hiccup, as well as the rest of the gang, were to go along with it completely and utterly without prompting from her, and treat her as if she were a divine being.

So now, Hiccup had to follow her every command as if she were a demon straight from Hell itself.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, how dare you escape from my view." She growled.

"Wait just a minute, who the hell are you?" bellowed Dagur. Shadow slowly turned her glowing silver gaze towards him, staring deeply into his soul. "Do not address me like that, mortal. Is this the kind of respect you show to a goddess?" she hissed.

"I am the right hand demon to the goddess Hel herself, commander of her dragon armies. And the demoness to all dragons in this world and the next." She growled.

"I do not like to be defied." She said, turning back to Hiccup's bowed form. But Dagur smelt a rat. How could there be devine intervention, and aimed at Hiccup no less? There was no way this girl was a demon, no way! She had to be a fake, an imposter. She had to be a friend of Hiccup's, why else would she be here?

"You aren't a real demon. You are a fake! There is no way you can be real. I bet you are just a friend of Hiccup's. If you are a demon, prove it!" he screamed.

Shadow stood stock still at his screeches. She had a feeling that he would try to call her out for an imposter. To call her bluff. But she knew just how to deal with this. Would a friend intentionally hurt another friend?

She didn't want to have to do it, but already she knew that there was no other way to convince the deranged man. Besides, if she really was pretending to play the part of a bloodthirsty demon, wouldn't it just as soon punish its followers as reward them?

"You do not get to dictate my movements. I am a god to you! However, don't a god's subordinate followers deserved to be punished when they stray from their masters?" she said softly, almost to herself.

Now, completely ignoring Dagur, Shadow strode over to Hiccup and used the razor sharp blade on her tail to tilt his head up and make him stand. Hiccup stood, blade at his throat, but kept his head cast down in respect to the 'demon' before him. Shadow raised a clawed hand to his chin and tilted his face away, so he was looking directly at Dagur.

Dagur watched, wide eyed as Shadow smirked against Hiccup's neck, bared her fangs, and sunk her teeth into his shoulder. Hiccup gasped at the pain, and grit his teeth while he felt her canine fangs sink deeper into his flesh.

The sweet taste of Hiccup's blood was driving Shadow mad with want. It was like hot liquid sugar on her tongue, and she wanted more. Greedily, she took more, and forcibly grabbed Hiccup's other shoulder with her claws so he couldn't escape. Hiccup groaned, either from pleasure or pain she was not sure, but it made her regain her senses.

Reluctantly, she pulled away and retracted her fangs. Hiccup was sporting a few puncture marks on his collarbone, slowly oozing blood. The dragon inside Shadow's mind growled appreciatively at the mark. He was hers now. "Just a reminder for you, so you know that you belong to me."

Grinning evilly, Shadow turned back to Dagur, with blood dripping down her fangs. She stepped over to him with a dark glint in her eyes, and before he could react, her clawed hand shot out and wrapped itself around his neck.

Deliberately, she ran her clawed thumb right across his neck, leaving a red line on his skin. Finally, she leant forward and whispered a few words in his ear, explaining that she had cursed him.

Now that she was done, she dropped the deranged man on the cave floor, and spun around towards the exit, ordering Hiccup to follow. The demon girl and her subordinate strode to the entrance of the cave and then right out into the clearing. They still had to keep up the unspoken act, so Hiccup forced himself to stumble after her, with blood still flowing from the whip marks on his back. Shadow had to force herself not to look back at him, or show any indication that she cared. But it was a struggle, because all she wanted to do was hold him close and take away his pain.

The berserkers surrounded the two, fully armed and ready to attack, but their fear held them back. Shadow smirked and forced herself to transform. Her hips and shoulders reformed to the bones of a quadruped animal, and her face changed into a dog-like muzzle. Black scales grew all over her body as she changed, and finally, the great Black Moon dragon stood before them in all her glory.

Shadow lowered her head and bent her front legs, allowing Hiccup to climb onto her back. Being situated on the saddle part of her back, Hiccup looked like a king astride a great black mount. Even despite his wounds, the two of them looked regal.

With a powerful roar and a running start, Shadow launched herself in the air and into the darkened sky.


	10. I dont kiss I bite hard

**Okay, I have to warn you people, this is one of the first times I have ever written a steamy romance kinda scene, so if I'm bad at this, sorry. I believe this turned out ok, but I would seriously like to hear your opinions and let me know how I did. constructive critisism is highly appreciated. Oh, and by the way, OechsnerC you got your wish. Heres a scene were romance between Shadow and Hiccup is the main focus. I remember you constantly bringing it up in my last fanfic. hehehe, tell me what you think.**

 **Warning: lots of intense and headed stuff going on between Hiccup and Shadow. its rated M for a reason, but I havent gone too far with it... there is a lot of heated tension in this section, so if you dont like, dont read. sorry, but this chapter's genre is romance.**

 **anyway, enjoy. hehehe. please leave a review. :D**

Hiccup groaned for what had to be the fifteenth time that night. Even though his wounds had been treated and bandaged carefully, and he was lying on his soft bed at home, everything still hurt.

He sat up in the dark, rubbing his eyes and hissing from the pain. He heard a rustle of movement, and saw through the darkness, Shadow's form rousing from her sleep. Even after all this time, he couldn't understand how she slept like that, upside down by her tail like a bat. Her wings unfurled and revealed her slim body, her arms wrapped around herself and her feet crossed over at the ankles. Slowly her silver eyes flicked open and saw him sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I didn't mean to wake you." Said Hiccup. Shadow flipped herself upright, latching her claws into the rafter and unwound her tail so she could stand upright on the floor. Quietly, she walked over to him as he lit a candle by his bed. As his back was turned, Shadow got a good look at the bloodstains slowly seeping through his nightshirt.

"You keep reopening those gashes. You aren't going to get better if you don't stop." She said quietly. Hiccup sighed, then reached over for a jar on his nightstand. Shadow's nose crinkled at the smell.

"I don't suppose you can help me with this?" he asked timidly. The stuff in the jar was an ointment to help numb the pain in his back and heal his numerous whip lashes. Shadow detested the stuff mainly because of its pungent odour.

Shadow thought about it for a moment. Did she want to get that horrible stuff on her hands late at night and have to go outside in the cold to wash it off later, or would she do it so she could touch his toned chest and back?

The thought of him standing there while she rubbed oils onto his body was quite appealing. But those ointments stank. Now she couldn't stop thinking about his toned chest, and the mark she left on his skin with her fangs. She wanted to see it again. Wanted to see him again.

She could feel her blood start to heat up at the thought and anticipation for her fantasies made her growl with supressed want. She knew what she wanted now. So with slow, deliberate steps, she swayed over to him and took the jar out of his hands, and put it back on the table.

"Take your shirt off." She said. Hiccup's cheeks turned red. His words died in his mouth and he could only stutter. And the look she was giving him didn't help matters.

Her voice dropped to a whisper and the dark look in her eyes became more prominent. "I said, take your shirt off." The blush on his cheeks spread to about half his face, but he slowly complied, mainly because of his curiosity at what she was planning.

The undershirt was discarded on the floor, and Shadow growled in pleasure at the sight of his toned, yet bandaged, chest.

"Now take those bandages off. You won't need them anymore." This time, his entire face went red, and his heartrate began to increase. His breathing became more irregular. But this time, Shadow got tired of waiting, and raised her clawed hand to tear away the bandages herself. Her warm hand pressed against his body as it dropped lower and lower down his form, tearing the bandages, and finally, it stopped, right on the hem of his pants.

Instantly, he could feel his body flush with heat and cold air at the same time when his last layer of covers on his torso dropped to the floor. The dark look in her eyes was even stronger now, and her breathing was becoming deep with traces of sensual growls.

"Lie down on the bed, on your stomach." She said. "Uhh…" he continued to stammer, and his entire body felt hot. Sweat started forming on his brow. Then Shadow pushed him backwards till he tripped on the edge and landed on his ass on top of the soft furs.

"We can't have you suffering from those wounds, so I'm going to take care of them myself…" she whispered. Completely dumbstruck, he was helpless to resist her too warm hands pushing him onto the bed and onto his stomach. His arms were up by his face, which was pressed into the pillow. He tried to turn his head to see her, but a shifting weight made him freeze. Shadow climbed onto the bed, and straddled his hips, effectively pinning him there in shock and fear.

He heard her growl with suppressed desire and her hands grip his sides, below the bottom three ribs. He could barely move at all, but when he felt her hot breath on his lower back, he realized that he was completely helpless to resist her touch.

When her warm tongue darted across his torn flesh, he couldn't help but moan. He was screwed. Every few seconds, her tongue would lick part of his back, cleaning off the blood and coating the wounds in saliva, completely numbing them. Slowly and methodically she worked, inching up to the middle of his back, and higher again to his shoulder blades.

Her hot breath made him shiver with pleasure and her erotic tongue on his skin made him groan. The blood in his veins made him feel hot, too hot. Her weight on his lower body, her hands on his sides, and her hot breath and tongue made fire dance within him. His heart wouldn't stop beating a mile a minute, and certain part of his body were becoming hotter than others.

When her tongue licked the blood off the cut on his shoulder, a louder groan of pleasure filled the air, surprising them both. Shadow chuckled lowly from his reaction and continued her onslaught to the sensitive part of his collarbone. Her entire body was pressed against his now as she lent over him, meaning he could feel her toned thighs on either side of his own, her flat stomach touching his lower back, her hands roaming his body, and her chest pressed against his shoulder blades.

But the worst part was her face which was right next to his in the crook of his neck, breathing hot air onto the skin there. He couldn't take much more of this, parts of him were seriously starting to feel her effect on him.

"There is one more… on your chest." She whispered in his ear. He moaned in response, then realized what she meant. She wanted him to roll over. If he did, then she would notice exactly what he was sporting at that moment. His face flushed even redder than before. Stubbornly he tried to defend against her urging, but she won over him after about a minute, and he was roughly shoved onto his back.

Now that he could see her standing over him, he couldn't stop squirming to get out of her grasp, but she simply dropped her weight on him, pinning him there with a loud groan from him caused by the friction between their bodies.

Now she held his neck and moved him where she wanted him, and dipped her head down to where the cut started. Unfortunately for hiccup, that spot was right next to his pectoral muscle, which was extremely sensitive. He wriggled and squirmed as he watched her tongue dart out to lick the crimson red blood. Unable to stop himself, Hiccup arched his body against hers, creating more friction he so desperately craved.

Shadow looked up at him, her silver eyes glowing with want and dominance, and she smirked, making him watch her tongue lick over the muscle. Hiccup scrunched his eyes and threw his head back, biting his lip to stop the needy sounds from escaping him. Shadow wasn't pleased with him preventing those little sounds from escaping through his lips, so she licked the cut again, harder this time, and subtly dropped her weight on him. Hiccup bit his lip so hard it bled, and more sounds of desire came from his now panting breath. She was torturing him. And he was enjoying it.

One more long lick, and the blood was taken care of. His skin was already repairing itself thanks to the healing properties in her saliva, but there was one more cut she had to deal with.

Her face hovered millimeters above his, gazing at the cut on his lip, caused by both Dagur and Hiccup himself. She could feel his ragged breath brushing her face, and even in the semi-dark she could see his blush, which darkened considerably when he realized what she was staring at.

"You did that on purpose didn't you." She stated. As she did, she shifted her body's weight, creating lots of friction between their hips. Hiccup groaned loudly and threw his head back panting. Chuckling, Shadow grabbed a hold of his wrists and pinned them to the headboard.

"Let me show you how a female Black Moon dominates her partner." She whispered against his lips. Her tongue flickered out again and licked the sweet blood from his lip, teasing and playing with him while he was helpless to resist. He groaned again with lust, driving Shadow mad with desire. Then finally, she captured Hiccup's lips roughly with hers, biting and sucking his injured lip.

After just a mere second she pulled away, and he groaned in disappointment and longing. "I don't kiss Hiccup, I bite. And I bite hard."

But this time, Hiccup lurched up to meet her lips, and at the same time, he arched his body against hers, creating more and more friction that sent him closer to the edge. Shadow soon dominated the kiss and forced his head against the furs and mattress. She had complete control of him, while he was helpless to resist her licks and bites.


	11. into the great beyond

**Hey everyone. Sorry for the late update, school has been dumping all sorts of physiological strain on my crazy mind. I dont really like this chapter very much, its just a place filler so we can progress to the next section of the story. but yeh, I dont know when I will update next, but I will try to update within a week or on weekends. oh, and just so you know, the more reviews I get, the more inclined I feel to write. So if I keep getting reviews then I will write faster. I also need to know how to improve my writing because I am considering doing a creative writing degree in uni, so I need to know if I actually have something that is worthwhile in pursuing. Please review :)**

The next day was a drastic change for Hiccup and Shadow. Whereas the night before had been just about them, now they were discussing new information with the entire counsel. During the escape, Shadow managed to swipe the mysterious cylindrical device right out of Dagur's hand without him noticing. The object in question, the newly named Dragon Eye, was the focus of the meeting. After Shadow got a good look at it, she was able to tell them what it was and what it did.

"I have only heard stories about it, but this device was created by the oldest members of the Black Moon Dragon Society, to allow humans to see through the eyes of dragons, just like they could. It contains the secrets of many different dragons from all over the world, except for the Black Moon's themselves." She said.

"As each section is unlocked and understood, new things can be discovered. From dragon's secret abilities, to undiscovered islands where they dwell." She continued. The counsel were intrigued. Stoick asked her to demonstrate how to use the device, and Shadow directed Toothless to hold a plasma blast in his mouth. The resulting light shone a projection onto the wall in the great hall, in languages they couldn't read and with symbols they didn't recognise.

Hiccup was ecstatic. There was so much untapped knowledge to understand here. He now understood why Shadow used to continue on from place to place, there was so many new things to learn. He wanted to go, go out and learn all these new things. This was exactly what he was longing for in the past two years.

The more he thought, the better this idea looked: With Dagur out of prison, they needed to track him down and lock him up again. He longed to explore new lands and new dragons. The other dragon riders missed the old days where danger lurked at every turn. And Shadow had told him that she was thinking of going back to her mission because she wasn't needed on Berk.

The Dragon Eye could be the key to them exploring the world, getting back into adventures, and staying together. He was giddy with excitement.

Once he made his case to his father, he agreed to let them all go and explore outside the storm barrier. He couldn't help himself, and jumped for joy once it was approved. Hiccup, Toothless and Shadow ran outside to tell the others and prepare for the long journey.

They had planned to leave in a few days, and once they had travelled far enough, they would find a suitable island to set up their own base. But before they would leave, they got a chance to pack and celebrate with their families. Hiccup was by far the busiest person. He had spent hours packing and preparing, and now he was working on another project.

He was in Gobber's forge, working as quickly and efficiently as he could on a harness for Shadow. With this, she could help carry extra supplies, and if the need ever comes up again, one of the riders could fly on her back without the threat of falling off.

So far, it could be improved a lot, but it would serve its purpose. Now he just needed was to get Shadow to try it on to see if it fit. So when she walked by the forge, he called her over. After handing her the leather harness, and explained to her what it was and what it was for, she handed it back to him and transformed.

Once again, he was awestruck watching the transformation. He was fascinated by how her body reshaped itself at will into the lean and strong form of a dragon. Her wings and tail grew in size to match her growing body, and her face morphed into that of the Black Moon dragon. Even after she had finished the transformation, and her scales finished covering her entire form, he couldn't help but stare. It didn't matter what form she was in, she was beautiful in all of them. Human, dragon, or hybrid.

She caught him staring at her with large, black pupils. The black dragon smirked. After Hiccup caught himself and coughed awkwardly, he grabbed the large pile of leather and straps, and helped her put it on. It did seriously need some work, but it fit perfectly. Situated around her neck was a leather collar, while a large, saddle-like piece of leather was strapped on her back and down her spine. The back piece went from the base of her neck, connected to the collar, to the base of her tail behind her wings. Lots of straps and buckles wound themselves around her chest and stomach to secure it in place. The harness fit her slim form well, and made her look more tamed.

Finally, Hiccup had one more thing to add. Running back into the forge, he grabbed a few long pieces of leather connected to iron rings. When he came back, Shadow sniffed at it, but let him put it on. Hiccup wasn't sure how she would react, but slowly moved to put it in place. He instructed her to lower her head so he could reach her horns.

Taking the two largest rings in his hands, he secured them around her two largest ivory horns, with the large strip of leather laying slack around her neck. Then he took the next two rings and did the same with the next two horns, and then again with the other rings.

The bridal rested against the back of her neck, its braided leather pieces for added grip. Shadow didn't like the idea of someone on her back, someone controlling her. The idea reminded her of her rough past, where others had attempted to tame her. But if it meant that she could help keep her friends safe, then she would endure it. For the dragon riders, and for Hiccup.

A few days later they were prepared to leave. Everyone's packs were filled with clothing and personal items, while their saddles carried their personal camping gear. Shadow, with her new harness, carried enough food and extra supplies to last them weeks, along with empty books to catalogue new information and as many charts and maps as they needed. Saddlebags and packs were clipped, strapped and tied to the leather harness perfectly and wouldn't hinder her flight. Even despite the fact that Shadow wasn't entirely happy about being a pack animal, she was eager to help with their massive, ground-breaking journey.

They assembled at the academy once dawn broke over the island, where Stoick and Gobber waited for them with well wishes and pats on the back. Eagerly they waited for the due time to embark on their journey while Hiccup quickly rechecked their last minute supplies.

Finally, they were ready to depart, and after they were farewelled by their parents, with Hiccup almost getting crushed by his father's bear-hug, they mounted their dragons and took to the skies.

Hiccup and Toothless flew in front, with Shadow on his right and Astrid and Stormfly on his left. Snotlout and Hookfang took up the rear, and kept an eye on the twins and their zippleback, and Fishlegs and Meatlug held the middle position.

They flew together towards the Northern most point they had ever been before, and towards the storm barrier that defined their section of the world. The further they flew, the more excited they became. And finally, when the giant wall of cloud barred their path to new lands, they steeled their resolved and pushed on against the strength of Mother Nature.

Above the thunderous booms of lightning and the roar of the sea, Shadow roared in defiance to the world's power. "Into the great beyond!"


	12. the Death Song

**Hey, sorry everybody for not updating earlier, i have had a lot of troubles with internet and it has only started to work for me now. Once again, sorry for the wait. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Now, the next chapter is half written, but I need some input. Ok, I could really use some help. And leave a review to keep me motivated.**

"Into the great beyond…" someone droned. Heads drooped and grips went slack. "Into the great beyond…" everyone echoed. People were slowly nodding off in the saddle. Meatlug was practically sleep flying.

Shadow shook her head, at their behaviour and to clear her mind from drowsiness. Their low energy mood was making her sleepy. Normally, she could fly for days at most without stopping or getting tired, but the last time she flew this long or this far was years ago.

There was no land in sight, nothing but endless ocean and grey, morbid skies. The sea of grey was ominous, and through the dull environment, Shadow was free to think. That man, named after this very colour, was still out there. That traitorous, treasonous, murderous bastard was still out there, somewhere in this grey sea. The realm between known and unknown, light and dark. They grey area.

Shadow shook her head again and flapped her wings. She needed something to keep that disgusting slime of a man off her mind. And if the dragon riders didn't find some way to occupy themselves soon, she believed that they would fall off their saddles.

As she flapped, the air collected under her wings made a small booming noise, like a tiny thunderclap, or the beat of a drum. An idea slowly formed in her mind, and she smiled.

The sound of the rhythmic beat of her wings roused the dragon riders from their naps. The drum-like sound echoed throughout their minds with a steady beat. Shadow made music with her winds, and with their growing excitement, their dragons began to increase their speed, replicating her sound and keeping in time.

Shadow clapped her talons together, adding to the beat with a slight clicking sound. The beat was lively in their hearts, matching their speed, if not faster, and added smiles to their faces, then Shadow began so sing.

" _Let the wind carry us, through the clouds hurry up, alright… We can travel so far, as our eyes can see… We go where no one goes, we slow for no one, get out of our way…"_

 _"Awake in the sky, there's no break up so high, alright… Let's make it our own, let's savour it… We go where no one goes, we slow for no one… get out of our way…"_

 _"We slow for no one, we go where no one goes… We slow for no one… we go where no one, goes."_

The musical sound continued to echo all around them as the clouds began to disperse. Warm sunlight heated their backs, and a fresh breeze blew in their faces, while sweet musical sounds echoed on the air. The enchanting noise drew them onwards, and soon, land was sighted.

As soon as the lush green island came into view, something stirred inside Shadow's subconscious. She was no longer making musical sounds, meaning that the origin of the flute-like music was not her.

The music echoed inside her head, louder with every beat of her wings. It put her on edge. But to her surprise, the dragons beside her seemed lulled by the noises. Hiccup misinterpreted their attraction to the island for a longing to rest, and sent their formation on a beeline for a wide, open beach.

Once they landed in a safe spot, the riders disembarked, their rear ends aching from their many hour long flight. Shadow remained in her full dragon form, with a sense that she would need its strength.

As the sun began to set over the island, the teens unloaded the saddlebags strapped to Shadow's harness, but she refused to have her harness taken off as well. They set up a small camp, ate some food around a fire once it got dark, then fell asleep on their bedrolls.

.

Sometime in the night, Shadow was awoken by that mysterious flute-like sound. It echoed around inside her head, like a beacon towards an unknown location. But instead of following it into the night, She shook her head violently and forcibly dismissed the sound. Whatever creature was out there, she would not fall prey to it.

The noise was persistent, and didn't cease, forcing Shadow to concentrate on keeping its mind numbing influence from overtaking her logical mind. So focused she was on keeping the sounds outside of her own mind, that she didn't notice the sounds of the dragons leaving the camp, heading towards whatever creature lured them to their demise.

The force was strong, and she nearly succumbed to its embrace, but she forced it out of her mind with a growl and a violent shake of her head. To further force the intruders influence from her, she stood up and moved around the camp while the riders slept. It was a powerful sound that made her legs tremble slightly, but her powerful mind was beginning to fight back and match it.

Hiccup stirred in his sleep and his eyes fluttered open at the same time that Shadow noticed that the dragons were gone. She practically pounced on him to wake him up. Instantly he was on alert and waking the other riders. Toothless, Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, Barf and Belch were nowhere to be seen.

The riders set out into the strange forest as dawn broke over their heads. Without their dragons, the walk seemed much longer than it was. Only a few short hours went past before they got tired.

All the while, Shadow was conscious of the siren-like song that came in the night, which lured her towards the carnivorous dragon living on the island. When the group came across a giant pile of dragon bones they realised just how dire the situation had become. They had to find their dragons, and fast, before they became prey to the cannibalistic dragon which called this island 'home'.

Some rustling from behind them made the group made them whip around and draw their weapons, but a growled command from Shadow halted them, and just in time too. Toothless jumped out from the bushes and knocked Hiccup over. They sighed in relief.

But the other dragons were nowhere in sight. No rustling signalled their proximity, and Toothless's warbles alerted them that the dragons were captured. So now they ran towards the ravines and caverns between rocks, following the flute-like call of the mysterious dragon.

…

Shadow was the first to react. Whereas the others had ran towards their dragons trapped in amber, in a vain attempt to get them out, Shadow roared in warning as the creature approached.

The others were too late, and too exposed to its onslaught, and were trapped within minutes next to their dragons in golden amber cocoons. Thinking fast, Shadow ran out from her covered position to where Hiccup and Toothless were standing. She didn't have enough time to save the Night Fury, but she had just enough to grab Hiccup in her powerful jaws, turn tail and run to safety before the Death Song caught them too.

Its furious shrieks followed them into the forest, but after a short amount of time, it gave up the pursuit. It had other victims to feed upon. This gave Shadow and Hiccup enough time to escape, although Hiccup had no choice in abandoning his friends. He was forced to leave them behind while he was carried away in the jaws of the Black Moon.

Finally, she dropped him on the ground in a slobbery heap. He tried to stand up, but he just slipped back over again. The next time he stood, Shadow helped him up.

"Great, what are we going to do now?" he cried, mostly to himself. The dragon behind him growled in response. _"I know that type of dragon… I should have figured it out before, I could have stopped us all from getting into this situation._ " She growled to herself. _"It's known in many places as the Death Song, hence how its' sweet call lurers you to your death. It uses the same techniques as an Alpha or Beta dragon, mind manipulation. While not as powerful as a Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus, it uses a mind controlling call to lure its prey to it, then traps it in amber cocoons for it to devour."_

Hiccup started pacing in front of the great black dragon, trying to think of how he could defeat it and get his friends and their dragons free. That amber substance was too tough to cut through, and barely anything his friends tried had worked to break it, before they in turn were captured.

"How can we get them out? No wait, before we think of that, how come you weren't lured by the Death Song's call?" he questioned. Shadow almost smirked. _"The Black Moon dragon far surpasses all dragons in superiority. We have the ability to resist the calls of Alpha and Beta dragons such as the Bewilderbeast and the Red Death, and by extension, the Death Song as well. We have the ability to 'scramble' their calls using vibrations in our throats that echo through our heads. When I activate this ability, my horns act as a receiver to the call of the Death Song and scrambles it so it doesn't affect me."_ She explained.

Hiccup looked at her blankly, then his face changed into one of curiosity and interest. "Huh… interesting." He stopped to think for a minute or two to mull over what she said. "What's a Bewilderbeast?" he asked.

"I'll tell you some other time." She replied. "So now that you know how I can prevent myself from being affected by the Death Song's call, we need to come up with a plan to get the others free."

Hiccup hummed to himself as he thought about a rescue mission. That dragon was dangerous, and the others wouldn't stand a chance if they waited too long, but he had no idea how to break them out of those amber cocoons. And despite Shadow's amazing fighting skills in all her forms, if she got hit with that amber stuff, she would be stuck too.

"I haven't got much of a plan on how to get the others out, but I might be able to give you time to figure something out yourself. I can fly you over to the trapped dragons and drop you of, then I'll fly around and keep the Death Song occupied." She suggested.

Hiccup tried to protest, but there was nothing else they could do. They were running out of time to save them. So with that, Hiccup climbed up onto the saddle part of her back and gripped the reigns. He also made a mental note to make the harness more comfortable for passengers. Every small movement jostled him uncomfortably.

He held on tight as Shadow's massive wings unfurled and she took a running start into the air. Her powerful wings made them shoot into the air at high speeds, and he almost fell off. Riding a Black Moon was so much different to a Night Fury he found out.

Her kind were much more uncontrollable and violent whilst in flight. He felt like he was getting bucked around on the back of a stallion, one that was at least four times the size, covered in tough scales and could fly that is.

Within minutes, they were flying overhead of the trapped dragons and riders, and the Death Song was nowhere to be found. Hiccup launched himself off Shadow's back and ran to the closest person to break them out. He started whacking it with everything he could fins, but nothing was breaking it.

Suddenly, a shadow passed over the ground, and he heard Shadow growl threateningly. When he looked up, he could see the brightly coloured wings of the Death Song, and it was looking for its next meal.

Shadow roared in challenge and launched herself into the air after it. It screeched at its challenger and dived towards her. They collided mid-air in a flurry of wings and talons, attempting to swipe at each other and knock them out of the air.

Those who could move slightly looked up at the skyward battle, the contest between the bright and colourful dragon, and the pitch black monster. Shadow managed to head-butt the rainbow coloured dragon with her ivory horns, forcing it back and towards the ground.

Hiccup watched, horrified, as it was given a clear shot at Shadow's torso. Sticky golden amber shot through the air towards the black dragon, and stuck to her body, cooling almost instantly.

Shadow struggled to keep herself in flight whilst the added weight to her chest dragged her down. She was infuriated, and in response, she filled her fire lungs and opened her jaws. But instead of firing upon the dragon itself, she turned her jaws towards herself and blasted apart the cocoon with blue hot fire.

The amber practically exploded apart in burning chunks, and Shadow was free. Now, she charged up lightning in her throat, and shot it towards the Death Song with more strength and force than a Skrill.

Back down on the ground, Hiccup shielded his head as flaming pieces of amber landed around him. In that moment, an idea came to mind and he rushed over to the saddlebags for a bowl.

Once he had that, he ran over to Hookfang and asked if he would give him some saliva to help break them free. Eagerly, the Monstrous Nightmare donated as much as he could, then Hiccup set about covering the amber cocoons with the flammable gel.

Toothless ignited the gel, and within minutes, everyone was free and mounting their dragons once more, and taking to the skies to help Shadow with her battle.

The Black Moon dragon was winning the battle, dodging the blobs of amber and firing upon the Death Song, however, her own body was covered in burns from escaping from the cocoons. With the riders combined help, they forced the dragon to the ground, where Shadow pinned it with her large size. To end the fight officially, she held its mouth down with one paw, and held her other over its wing, ready to slash it open.

She roared in its face as a sign of victory and wrapped her jaw around its neck. The Death Song surrendered and submitted to the might of the Black Moon, allowing her to walk over it as she chose.

The Death Song was defeated.


	13. Dragons Edge, and Dragons Lair

**Hey everybody, sorry for being gone for so long. Finally the internet is working, but I dont know how long that will last. I decided to give you all a treat: an extra long chapter! woohoo! yay! anyway, I could seriously do with some reviews, and thanks to everyone who does review, you are fabulous. I would really like it if you guys give me some serious feedback on my story, or even ask questions about anything :) Send some love!**

 **I hope you enjoy this next chapter, there is a little bit of love between Shadow and Hiccup near the end to prepare for the next chapter, which should be coming along soon. Hopefully, this new character, Phantom, should be introduced next! I hope you like it. Please leave a review. Love you all.**

 **.**

They flew from island to island, searching for one to call home, but each one was inhabited with dangerous dragons, or were completely inhabitable. They flew for hours on end between islands, finding nothing suitable. The riders were ready to give up before a large, lush green mass came into view on the horizon.

It had everything they needed: lots of fresh water, sandy beaches, lots of vegetation, game animals to hunt, and it was easily defendable from all sides. It was perfect. They all knew once they had flown around the island, that this was it. Their own home away from home.

When night fell, everyone was eating and getting ready for bed, but Shadow was restless. She paced around their clearing, clearly agitated. When given food, she devoured it in seconds, then went back to pacing. Hiccup was getting worried.

He had tried talking to her, but she sent him back with a low growl and a glare.

"I don't know what's gotten into her. She hasn't stopped growling and pacing for hours. Every little thing agitates her, I even had to send Tuffnut away before she attacked him." He said to Astrid.

His third in command hummed in thought. As she watched the shadowy girl, who was currently in her half-form, she tried thinking of anything that could be wrong. But all she could think of that was the cause of her restlessness was a common girl problem.

Then again, as far as she knew, the Black Moon girl didn't have that problem. After spending two years around her, Shadow had never shown any signs of it, which was quite strange.

But still, even with the evidence stacked against her, she voiced her thoughts to her leader, as a possible cause for her condition. She chuckled slightly as he blushed bright red and coughed awkwardly.

However, to him, it didn't seem like that was the issue, it had to be something else. Something that he couldn't put his finger on. Sighing, he went over to their cook fire and grabbed a piece of cooked meat for himself.

"Wow, whats gotten into Shadow?" asked Ruffnut, mostly to herself. "I honestly have no idea." He replied as he took a bite.

"If I had to guess, it's because it's her time of the month." Said Fishlegs offhandedly. "Astrid already suggested that, but apparently she doesn't get the 'woman's curse' like other girls do." Hiccup replied.

"Huh, what are you- oh. _Oh…_ " Fishlegs said awkwardly. He looked away, embarrassed, and stammered over his words.

"That's not what I meant, not at all. I don't even want to think about that. I'm talking about the phase of the moon." He elaborated.

When Hiccup looked up in the sky, he could see no moon. It was the time of the Black Moon. He face palmed, thinking that he should have realised sooner.

She had all that pent up energy within her, but because she had lost the ability to transform during the moon phases, all that energy was left with nowhere to go. She was meant to be transforming tonight, but simply changing at will wasn't enough to get rid of that extra boost of energy.

"Thanks Fishlegs, I cant believe I didn't think of that sooner." He said.

At least now he more or less knew the problem. Fixing it was another matter entirely. And he had no idea how to do that.

.

When Tuffnut ran back to their camp the next morning, crying in terror at a mysterious dragon, or, quote: dragon – chicken – yak – giant dragon! The riders were sceptical. Shadow huffed at his stupidity, but otherwise remained removed from the conversation. But the male twin continuously cried out about a giant dragon, to the point where Hiccup just humoured him and went with him on their dragons to hunt the mysterious creature.

What they found after their long search, was a dragon unlike any other. It was huge, with a large white eye. But when they began fighting it, they realised that it wasn't one large dragon, but hundreds of smaller ones. They all flew together in a massive formation, taking the form of themselves but on a much larger scale.

Hiccup was ecstatic despite the danger, because now they had another dragon to learn about. After the teens managed to bring down the leader of the flock, a pure white 'Night Terror', he wanted to take a while to learn about it. Sadly, Shadow didn't let him. With a loud growl, she caught their attention towards the rest of the flock. Unable to hold their formation, they flew around uselessly, becoming prey for the hungry Changewings nearby.

Shadow only spoke in unintelligible roars, and walked around on all fours like an animal, communicating vaguely to them that they needed to get the Night Terror leader back to the flock.

Hiccup tried to reach out to her, but she snapped her jaws at him, her fangs missing him by centimetres. She growled deep in her throat, her claws flexing into the dirt and her eyes were narrow slits. Shadow wasn't in control anymore, even despite being in her half-form. The Black Moon was calling the shots.

Hiccup hadn't seen her this aggressive in quite a while, but now wasn't the time to think about it. Those little dragons would be the Changewings next meal if they didn't help them.

In her battle-rage fuelled frenzy, Shadow transformed back into her full dragon form, wings flexing, tail thrashing, agitatedly pacing, while the transformation took hold. With a ferocious battle-cry she launched herself into the air with a powerful thrust and flew right for the acid spitting dragons, completely ignoring her own safety, to ram right into the middle of them. Her huge form smashed a hole in their formation, and they roared in anger.

Green blobs of acid shot towards her, but she didn't care. She rammed at them again, keeping their focus on her and not the other riders, and took the acid shots front on with a screech of fury. The outer layer of scales burned and sizzled, but otherwise she ignored the injuries, and continued her barrage or fire attacks. She fought hard, and keep their attention completely on her, whilst taking massive amounts of damage from their acid. Her armoured body and toughened scales protected her mostly, but she was still getting hurt. Each new bout of pain was just added fuel to the fire of her rage.

Finally, the formation of Night Terrors reared above the Changewing horde, trapping them against the Black Moon dragon's form. The camouflaging dragons were cornered on both sides, and with gigantic roars, the two dark forms sent them reeling back to their nest in fear and terror.

.

As dawn broke over the island the next day, the dragon riders gathered to discuss their new base. Everyone had different opinions on the matter and claimed theirs to be the best. Fishlegs wanted to focus on relaxing and getting away from the tension filled life of a dragon rider. The twins wanted a boar pit for their own sadistic entertainment. Snotlout wanted the entire formation to look like a giant 'S' from the sky. Astrid wanted to fortify the entire island with traps and spikes. And Shadow wanted to leave the island unchanged, but instead, burrow deep within the mountain and have their headquarters underground so no enemy would ever suspect it was inhabited.

Hiccup wasn't doing anything to stop their arguing, in fact, he was sitting removed from the group working on his own little project while the others argued.

"Come on you guys, why can't you see that my design with all these traps and defenced is the best idea?" said Astrid.

"How would you ever be able to relax? You would constantly be tense and never be able to unwind. My design is better for relaxation." Said Fishlegs.

"Boar pit! Boar pit!" chanted the twins.

"Have you guys not seen any castles before? Using the natural terrain is what we should do. Use the mountain to our advantage, create tunnels and chambers underground to stay safe from attacks." Argued the Black Moon girl.

"Why hide underground in a lair when we can build a base that's in the shape of an 'S'?" said Snotlout.

"Alright, alright you guys that's enough. I've heard all of your ideas, and I can see that you don't want to let someone else have the better design, so I have made a compromise." Said Hiccup as he wandered over. Instantly everyone quietened.

Without a word, he unfurled a large piece of paper covered in drawings. "Here's my idea: we combine everyone's idea to make one large base for all of us. And we make a huge clubhouse as the centre of the base. That way we all get what we want, and it's all functional."

They looked over his design with smiling faces. Fishlegs' garden was down by the water with a wonderful view. Snotlout didn't have his 'S' but his hut was situated in one of the highest parts of the base, with a landing pad for Hookfang. Astrid was right in the middle and had the most heavily fortified cabin of them all which doubled as a turret. The twins' hut was right above a hole in the ground, their 'boar pit', while their area could be rigged with traps as a frontal defence from any attacks. Hiccup's cabin was near the central clubhouse, suspended in the air and riddled with all his contraptions, and entirely self-sufficient.

And Shadow had the entire mountain to rig with separate chambers, tunnels and a full underground lair to her desire. Not only that, but her lair was like a complete replica of the base, with a room for everyone connected to a central underground hub in case they ever needed to evacuate and take refuge. The above-ground base was even linked to her underground lair, with bridges connecting everyone's cabins to caves, leading right inside.

Everyone had what they wanted, and it all worked so well together. And the newly named 'Dragons Edge', and 'Dragons Lair', had begun construction.

Dragons were flying around, clearing trees and boulders, and moving construction materials all over the place. Quickly, the base was taking shape in accordance to their plans. Hiccup had to help out every now and again since not everyone was the best builder but for the most part, everyone stuck to themselves, while Hiccup supervised.

He had just finished checking on the twins, again, before deciding to go and see how Shadow was fairing. She had been tunnelling away inside the mountain for hours, the only sounds coming from her were fire and lightning blasts as she cleared away the rock.

Huge piles or sorted stones lay about the entrance to her lair, while the sounds of explosions echoed from inside. Hiccup cautiously wandered inside. He found the great black beast inside a massive chamber, bashing at stone with the blade of her tail, and effectively carving a wall inside the mountain.

He stood to admire her powerful form as it moved. Her muscular forearms smashing stone to smithereens, her tail whipping the rock and slicing through it like a hot knife through butter. But the more he looked, the more something seemed wrong.

Her claws were bloody, her tail laying limp as she pushed the stone around, and her head was dripping crimson from head injuries, previously from ramming head on into the walls. Not only that, but some of her scales were corroded and partially melted from acid burns, and other parts were covered in ash and scorch marks.

They all looked painful, and he watched her move with some difficulty, but to his shock and horror, she kept battering away at her body while she shaped the earth as if it was but a tool, without any care for it at all.

"Shadow stop!" he cried. She froze, then slowly swung her head towards him. She looked like she had been in war, with herself.

"What are you doing? You're hurt."

She huffed and turned back to her work. " _I have suffered worse._ " She growled in the dragons tongue. "What's brought this on? You have been intentionally hurting yourself, and letting yourself get hurt. Why?"

Shadow looked at him deep into his eyes and soul. She didn't say anything for a long time.

" _The dragon side of me is trying to take over… It is because of the moon. The energy it takes for me to transform from human to dragon form has been building up for some time, and I need an outlet. I can use up some of that energy to heal by getting myself hurt. These injuries will only take a few hours to heal, but if I didn't do this then I would have all this power with nothing to do with it. It's better that I do this to myself, because if I didn't, I'm afraid that it would bounce back onto you._ "

Now she turned around and stood directly in front of him, her silver eyes roaming over his body.

" _The mark on your shoulder… seeing it makes me see you differently. I shouldn't have given it to you._ " She murmured.

Her eyes locked with his for a moment, before they locked again on the spot where the mark was. Her eyes darkened, and she slowly started to transform into her hybrid body.

" _Two years ago, when I marked you the first time, that was a contract. You belonged to me and I could use you as I pleased. It was a fang mark of servitude. That mark you have now, is a fang mark of binding. When I marked you in front of Dagur, the taste of your blood affected me, and I held on too long._ "

She now stood before him, clad in her trademark leggings and undershirt, with her black cloak on top that seemed to magically reappear every time she changed.

"That mark means that you are my intended." She said huskily. She tried to raise her arm to touch him, but she grit her teeth in pain. Looking down they saw that she was covered in bruises, scrapes, burns and acid damaged skin.

"If I don't hurt myself and redirect my power to healing, that power could compel me to do something to you."

Hiccup's breath hitched in his throat. "Like what?" he stammered. Shadow leant forward so her fanged maw was right next to his ear, with one arm on his other side, and pinning him to the wall.

"What do you think a dragon does to her intended mate?"

One hand dropped to his hip and pushed him up against the wall, while her other hand raised to his neck. She pinned him there and exposed the fang mark on his collarbone, while she pressed her body flush with his. Growling, she grabbed his chin and pushed, exposing his throat to her.

Her eyes flashed in the gloom as the Black Moon dragon took over her mind again. Shadow was no longer in control. The dragon looked at the man trapped beneath her claws, willingly exposing himself to her and her whims. In her weakened state, he could escape if he tried, but he willingly stood there at her mercy. Oh, how powerful that made her feel.

She smirked against the skin of his neck and opened her fanged mouth, her forked tongue darted out and licked the mark left there from her bite. He moaned as she did as she pleased to his exposed form.

How ironic, that he could bend almost any dragon to his will, tame them and train it to do his bidding, but in the hands of Shadow, it was he that was bent to her will. If he was known as the Dragon Prince over the archipelago, then she was his queen.

The Black Moon dragon growled against his neck, running its teeth across the sensitive skin. Gently, it pressed its fangs against his skin, sinking its teeth into his sweet flesh. He hissed from the pain, but delighted in her doing as she pleased. As blood flowed out of the new bite, Shadow licked it away, savouring the sweet taste of his blood, and kept him pinned between the wall and her.

Groaning, Hiccup dropped his head on her shoulder. Her body pressed up against his was driving him mad, and the friction between them want helping. Instinctively, he fought back, and grabbed her hips with his hands, holding her to him. He gasped and bit down on her neck while she dominated him. She froze when feeling his teeth against her flesh.

" _Don't just do it half way…"_ She groaned huskily is dragon-speak. Encouraged, he bit into her skin and drew blood. It tasted metallic on his tongue and burned slightly. To him it must have been what he imagined liquid fire and molten steel to taste like.

Panting, the two separated. A few drops of blood pooled on Hiccup's lip which he touched with his finger and examined in the dark. Her blood looked almost black, like a deep, dark red.

He looked back at her, specifically the spot in which he left a mark on her. It was faint and would most likely not leave any mark, but he was proud. He might not be one of her kind, but he still felt connected to the Black Moons.

"You might regret making that mark, but I don't regret you doing it. I know I'm not a male Black Moon, but I will fight as one while I have you here and if I'm claimed as yours, then I will defend that title and do everything in my power to give you what you want. I'll fly with my own wings if I have to, if only to show you that marking me wasn't a mistake."


	14. the night of the Ghost Moon

**Hehehehehe, this is where shit starts to go down. Introducing the rival male Black Moon, Phantom! I have had a few messages and reviews in the past months, some on my old story, about Hiccup and Shadow being a couple. Yes, I'm talking to you OechsnerC. And me being the sassy asshole of a writer I am, have decided to not make things that easy for the characters. hehehe. So heres the new issue. Phantom is a Black Moon just like Shadow, but she still cares for Hiccup and has marked him. So who will she choose, her own kind, or a human?**

 **Also, I have had quite a few questions regarding magic that the Black Moon possesses. this chapter should clear up some of that unknown information. Enjoy :) Please leave a review.**

Two weeks passed and finally their base had been completed. Cabins stood proudly on the mountainside, and their clubhouse rose valiantly in the centre of their camp like a gem in a crown. The Night Terrors stood guard as sentries around the island, protecting it from all flanks, while the dragons and their riders patrolled the surrounding waters for new lands, new dragons, and old enemies.

Dagur hadn't been forgotten, and was still on the top of their capture list, so too was Grey, the mysterious and illusive dragon hunter from a far-away land. And even after all this time, there was still no sight of the secretive Black Moon he was hunting either.

The three targets were nowhere to be found… but that would change soon.

Currently the dragon riders were gathered in the clubhouse around the central fire. Flames licked the logs piled high in the fireplace, and light danced against the walls, creating odd shapes and illusions. The group of seven sat around the fire with a plate of food in one hand, and a drink in the other.

"You know Shadow, we've learned a lot about the Black Moon dragon, but we haven't heard about many other strange creatures of the world. Surely there are other creatures like your kind in other countries." Said Fishlegs.

Shadow paused mid drink and looked at him. She smirked and put down her drink.

"There are no other creatures like me and my kind. The Black Moon is the only monster that can transform between dragon and human forms." She stated proudly.

"But what about creatures that can turn into other animals?" asked Astrid.

"You keep calling Black Moons monsters, as if they are completely heartless creatures." Stated one of the twins. "Well that's because technically we are. We might care a lot about our species as a whole, but we are all individuals, and our own survival is more important than others. If you ever put a Black Moon in a situation where it was either their life or their mates, almost every single time they will choose to save themselves." She said offhandedly whilst cleaning her nails.

"But back to your statement Fishlegs and Astrid, you are correct. There are a few other creatures capable of changing their forms, but like my kind, they are rare. Lycanthropes for one. Werewolves. Full moon like tonight triggers their transformation. They turn into a large man-eating wolf from moonrise to moonset. In that time they have no control over themselves, and would even kill their best friend if they crossed their path."

Shadow looked off in the corner of her eye, reliving memories from unknown times past. "When in human form they can be really nice people, but sad most of the time. They often hate themselves because they are a danger to those around them."

"Are there any other night creatures in the world?" asked Hiccup.

"Oh, there are tones. I ran into a coven of Vampires once; that was fun. Make a note: they can't stand silver, and are vulnerable to sunlight. But they are considered Lords of the Night. Vampires live by drinking the blood of mortals, and can command the creatures of the dark. They have human forms, therefore they are not as superior as Black Moons… Now that I think about it… a Black Moon is essentially a combination of a Vampire, a lycanthrope and a dragon."

She shrugged and took another drink. The others looked back and forth between each other. "How come a Black Moon is similar to a vampire? I mean, I can understand the lycanthropy thing, but what about vampires?" asked Fishlegs.

Shadow took another bite of her meal before speaking. "That would have to be because of Blood-theft. As a general rule, my kind don't use and can't use magic, but we can steal energy. And we can steal a person's energy through their blood, we call it 'life-force', by drinking the blood of a person or another Black Moon, we effectively steal part of their energy. We do this for certain reasons: sometimes it's to share energy between mates, other times it's to weaken an opponent, or make ourselves even stronger." She said, then took another bite.

They were just about to ask another question, but before they could, Toothless burst through the door in a panicked state. He roared an alert, that a pirate ship had been sighted heading towards their base. They were being invaded. Immediately everyone was on high alert and running to their dragons to defend themselves.

Once everyone was ready, Hiccup called the attack formation and directed everyone into the air. They were to deal minimum casualties and injuries. He wanted to deter them from ever coming back instead of outright destroying them. So with a command, he sent the formation of dragons down to the water to fly past their boat.

Obviously these were no ordinary pirates, they had one of the largest boats Hiccup had ever seen, even rivalling the boats he found at the Ship Graveyard, equipped with catapults, net launchers, and even a ballista.

First, Snotlout and Hookfang flew right into their sails, tearing them to shreds so they couldn't sail away. Next, Astrid and Stormfly attacked the rowing benches, scattering the rowers and destroying half their oars. Hiccup still wanted them to have some left so they could leave, but he wouldn't let them get away so easily.

Fishlegs and Meatlug disabled the catapults while the twins and their Zippleback made a gas ring around their hull and set it ablaze. The pirates on board were thrown into a frenzy, running to stacks of weapons and screaming obscenities. Against their dragons, they wouldn't stand a chance and would eventually fall. Hiccup and Toothless landed first on the deck of the ship, catching everyone's attention at the bold gesture.

Shadow, in her full dragon form, landed in the bow of the ship, right on top of the ballista. Her weight put so much stress on the machine that parts of it broke. They would not be using it any time soon. She stalked her way down the ship and transformed back into her half-form. The blood drained from their faces when they saw her, and most of them dropped their weapons and collapsed to the floor in surrender.

A single man who was obviously the captain walked to the front of the group, and immediately bowed to her in fear.

"M-m-my lord… P-please forgive u-us. We d-did not mean to anger you…" he cried. Shadow narrowed her eyes at the man. "Speak plainly to me, pirate scum."

The man continued to cry at her feet. "We had no desire to direct your wrath down upon us. We were foolish in our actions." He wept. Shadow cocked her head to the side slightly. There was something he was thinking that she didn't know, something that he meant that she couldn't tell.

"You had better have a good reason for your actions, lest I decide that your lives aren't worth anything."

The man at her feet sobbed. "We didn't know what we were thinking, we acted on impulse. Please forgive us for imprisoning your brethren." He cried.

Shadow froze at his words, and all at once, her blood chilled in her veins, and her heart sped up. She snapped her hand forward and grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking him up to her eye level.

"What did you say?" she demanded, her voice breaking with anxiety and unease.

"T-the dragon demon. We captured him when he took on a human form. We thought we could contain him. Forgi–" Shadow didn't let him finish, and practically threw him aside.

With a speed that no one thought she had, she bolted to the big wooden door that lead down into the bowels of the ship. Her heart was beating fast, her breath ragged, blood pumping so fast as she ran down deeper into the darkened parts of the ship and into the brig. She didn't stop to inspect every cage, but instead, bolted right for the one with the heaviest door, and rammed into it with her shoulder like a battering ram. She wrenched the door off its hinges and it landed with a crash.

She stopped breathing at the sight before her. In the gloom of the cage, a figure crouched, lashed together with chains in the centre of the cell, and completely unmoving. She rushed to his side and tore off the heavy chains as if they personally offended her.

Shadow ripped the iron band around his waist in two, and tore through the chains on his wrists and ankles. Her tail whipped around and severed the five chains around his neck, and she caught him before he fell.

He was as cold as ice, and filthy from being locked up for so long. But what alarmed her the most was the lack of movement from him. Shadow swiftly picked him up and ran out of the depths of the ship. She did not stop until she could see the bright full moon above her head.

But to her horror, he wasn't breathing, he couldn't with that ghastly muzzle strapped around his face. Her breath hitched in horror at the mere sight of it. Shadow's claws tore through the leather that kept it attached, as well as the collar still around his neck.

Finally, she got a look at his face. "P-Ph-Phantom?! Oh my god, Phantom!" she cried.

He was ghostly pale and breathing shallow. He was dying. She had to do something. Anything, before she lost him.

She pushed his long black hair out of his face and inspected him, hoping that something could give her inspiration on how to heal him. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. Without regard to herself, Shadow brought her arm to her mouth and sunk her fangs into her own flesh, then let the fat drops of blood fall into his mouth.

He remained unmoving until suddenly his arm shot up and grabbed hers. It shocked her just how fast he moved and how strong his grip was even in such a weakened state. His elongated fangs sunk into her flesh and latched on to her arm, and he drank hungrily.

The others gasped in shock as he drained her blood like a famished animal. The longer he hung on and drank, the closer Shadow came to passing out. Phantom gasped and detached his fangs from her flesh, breathing heavily. Groaning, his eyes fluttered open ever so slightly.

"… Sh- Shadow…?" he whispered. His eyes flickered to a spot behind her head, where the glorious full moon shone down on them. "… The Ghost Moon… My Shadow in the Night… You've come for me…"

Phantom promptly passed out.


	15. Phantom Ghost-Fang

After the pirates had been dealt with, and Phantom moved to the clubhouse on Dragons Edge, the riders watched over him for signs of improvement. After three days of rest on a makeshift bed, Phantom finally woke, looking more like his normal self. He rose out of the bed wearing nothing but a pair of trousers, his chest completely bare. The filth and grime on his skin had been washed away, and any injuries he had were taken care of.

He groaned as his stiff muscles were forced to comply with waking up, and he unknowingly startled the sentry watching over him. As soon as this unknown person came into his field of vision, Phantom shot out of the bed and backed himself up against a wall snarling.

The black haired male stood at a distance, arms raised in a peaceful manner. "Hey, woah, easy. You've been unconscious for three days, and locked up in a cell for Thor knows how long else, so don't go overexerting yourself."

Phantom continued to back away, but his overly large fangs were bared in attack. Snotlout, who had been warned about his possible behaviour, continued to give him space.

"You have been under the protection of Hiccup Haddock and Shadow Void-Wing, they have made sure you have received the best medical attention we have. You are on our island, Dragons Edge."

He seemed to calm slightly once he received this information. "Shadow Void-Wing? She's here?"

"Yes she is." He replied. Snotlout relaxed around the man and spoke out loud to himself, which wasn't the best thing to do given the circumstances. "Wow, another Black Moon. I honestly thought that I would never see another one of them."

Phantom tensed. His breathing became more ragged. He knew, the stranger knew about the Black Moons. They were supposed to be secret. How did he know? Was Shadow compromised? If this black haired male knew, then the others on this island must know too, meaning they were found out.

Phantom could not let that stay the same. So he growled and started advancing on the other male.

"Uh, what are you doing? Hey, uh, why are you looking at me like that? Umm, ok now you are creeping me out. Stay back. Get away! Ahh!"

Phantom lunged for Snotlout snarling like an enraged animal. Snotlout bolted for his life out of the clubhouse, screaming in fear. Off in the distance, the other dragon riders heard and ran to his rescue, while Phantom spurred himself on despite his pain to catch the man he knew had caught him out.

His fangs and claws were so close to sinking into his flesh, and he was moments away from killing him before a large shadow flew overhead. He took his eyes off his prey for a moment, and his eyes widened in shock. A pair of large, black wings descended towards him, the creature attached to them cannoned into him and sent them both over the edge of the bridge.

They fell, hit the ground with a loud thud, and tumbled on the ground in a flurry of mismatched limbs. Shadow pinned Phantom to the ground and crouched over him, wings splayed out. Phantom immediately froze. His silver eyes were wide as he inspected every part of her. His eyes roamed over her face, her teeth, the claws pinning his shoulders to the grass, the horns crowning her head, the scales covering her skin, and the massive wings covering the sun above him.

Shadow's eyes bore deep into his as he looked over her, his face had changed since the last time she saw him. He was older, more ragged, had seen more hells. His eyes were a darker silver than before, his face was more grown up and mature, and his hair was much longer. In some ways she liked this new version of him, but she wanted the old Phantom back too.

"Shadow… What happened?" he breathed. Her eyes softened. "It's a long story."

Someone called out her name from above, when she looked up she could see Hiccup watching them. She looked back down at Phantom. "These humans are trustworthy. They are not to be harmed." Phantom looked up at Hiccup, who was staring down at them with slightly narrowed eyes. "Are they yours?" Shadow shrugged. "More or less…" the two of them stood up.

"Are you alright Shadow?" Hiccup called out. She nodded. Hiccup beckoned them back up with a wave of his hand. The dragon girl lead the human formed Black Moon back up to the high reaches of Dragons edge, where he was met with the toothy faces of weary dragons.

Toothless walked up to Phantom with narrowed and suspicious green eyes. He proceeded to sniff all over Phantom's body to deduce whether he was a threat. Phantom willingly allowed the Night Fury to inspect him, and showed that despite his longer than normal nails and large canine teeth, he was unarmed.

When Toothless was satisfied, he wandered back to Hiccup, who gave him a scratch under the chin. The male Black Moon intriguingly watched the exchange.

Hiccup then cleared his throat and approached the other male. "Welcome to Dragons Edge. I'm Hiccup Haddock, first in command of the Berk Dragon Academy, only son to Stoick the Vast. Shadow is my right hand commander, and Astrid is my left hand warrior."

Shadow and Astrid stood by their leader in their correct places as they were introduced, and one by one, the others moved in to stand next to them as they were called too. Finally it was Phantom's turn to introduce himself.

"My name is Phantom Ghost-Fang, level three undercover infiltrator. Second son to one of the Five Army Generals of the Black Moon Dragon Society."

One of the teens asked what brought him this far North, to which he narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.

"I'm being pursued by a dragon hunter known as Grey."

.

A few hours later, Phantom had been given a room inside the Dragons Lair, and was currently there focusing on restoring his energy. He had been locked up in that cage for too long, and it had affected him greatly. He sat cross legged in a pile of furs on the ground, a nest just like the one Shadow had for herself in another room. Said female was sitting behind him as he meditated, cutting his hair to its normal length.

Cut by cut, he was beginning to look more like his old self again. He continuously focused on the sound to keep his mind focused on channelling his energy.

"What on earth did you do to have Grey chase after you?" asked Shadow while she worked. Phantom chuckled. "I may have used seduction methods on his offspring to learn some very sensitive information."

Shadow chuckled along with him. "I can see why he would be pissed at you." She said.

"Wait a minute, doesn't Grey have a son?" Phantom smirked. "Well… yes." Shadow couldn't help it and burst out laughing. "Wow, you are right back in the mess."

The two laughed for a few moments before they calmed down. "So whats the sensitive information you learned from him?" she asked.

"Before I was caught red handed, I found out the locations of six of their new bases in Europe, as well as how many of our kind have been killed by the Hunters of Supernatural Creatures. Thirty have been killed by them in the past five years."

Shadow clenched her fist. The population of her kind were low enough already. They had almost two thousand, but that wasn't much, and now they had lost thirty, either they were mated pairs or hatchlings, but each were key to keeping their kind alive and on the face of the earth. They couldn't lose any more, they couldn't afford to.

Phantom sighed and leant back into her. "You have no idea how glad I am to have found you. It's been too long." Shadow ran her claws through his now shortened hair.

"It's good to see you again Phantom. I hope we can get to know each other again after being away from each other for a century."


	16. Zippleback trouble

Unfortunately for the Dragon riders, there was no time for a break. The pirates who had captured and imprisoned Phantom had come from the Northern side of the island, where there was no watchtower. Hiccup immediately set to work at constructing one using the stone carved out of the mountain from the Dragons Lair.

Phantom was practically back at full health, and volunteered to come and help, if only so he could be close to Shadow. Boulders and stones were being carried over and set in place as they worked methodically. Phantom stood on the ground, holding the plans, and watched with admiring eyes as Shadow flew overhead.

The Black Moon male couldn't help but admire Hiccup too. Not in the same was as Shadow of course. But he admired how the young Viking handled the others, who he learned in a short amount of time were not the greatest bunch.

Hiccup handled them well, just as an Alpha should, with firm command and democracy, but not without a strong sense of authority. As a leader, he was brilliant, as an inventor, he was vastly intelligent. All of his good qualities drowned out the fact that he was thin and lean, whereas the others were bigger and stronger. He was one who used brains over brawn, and Phantom could respect that.

"Where's Ruffnut and Tuffnut?" he called from Toothless's saddle. Almost as if to answer his question, they heard a loud whoop of pure glee from the side of the mountain.

Hiccup groaned when he saw the twins astride their Zippleback sliding down the snow on the mountain. If they weren't careful they could start an avalanche and bring it down on top of them.

"Snotlout, Fishlegs, bring them in now." He commanded firmly. The two riders flew their dragons over to get them to stop messing around. But too late, the snow and ice started to crumble and fall down the mountain at breakneck speeds. The twins tumbled off their saddles and into the powder, from which Fishlegs and Snotlout rescued them from.

But Barf and Belch the Zippleback continued to tumble down the mountain, wings and legs flailing everywhere, with no hope of escaping. Hiccup reacted on instinct, and flew Toothless towards the two headed dragon to rescue it before he went over the edge of the cliff and be lost in the ocean depths below hundreds of feet of snow.

Shadow had grabbed Phantom as the ice came too close, there was no hope for the watchtower to avoid the frozen onslaught, but from the sky they were fine.

Hiccup only just managed to save Barf and Belch before they went over. Breathing heavily from the rush of adrenaline, the young man and dragon took the weakened dragon onto a secure space, one by one, the other riders landed with them.

Hiccup was still breathing heavy, and disengaged his metal leg from the stirrup to stand on the ground, but Shadow saw something wrong with it. "Hiccup, wait!"

Too late, his leg hit the ground and he fell onto the ice. Sharp pains shot up his leg, and for a few moments, he lay there gasping from pain. looking down, he saw that the metal was twisted and warped, and unusable. Thankfully he had a spare.

But with every step, Hiccup limped because of the pain, and he continued to stumble around. Good thing Barf and Belch kept helping him.

Even after the avalanche disaster, everything seemed fine, but by the time morning came around the next day, things started getting out of hand.

.

Shadow was on her way to the clubhouse for breakfast, with Phantom in tow, when movement caught her eye. Hiccup had just opened the big mechanical door to his cabin, when a massive pile of fish cascaded down on his head. The two humanoid dragons froze when they heard the big squelch.

"Ruff, Tuff, oh I got another shift with your name on it!" shouted the angered future chief. He struggled to get out of the pile of fish without falling over, so Shadow chuckled and went over to help him out. Toothless was bounding around him and eating some of the cod.

"Really, you are eating the evidence." He droned sarcastically. Toothless just laughed.

Shadow approached while smirking, then offered a hand to get him out. Phantom walked to stand next to the two of them, grabbing one of the fishes that had wedged itself in the back of his collar.

"Is this a regular occurrence?" he asked the two. Unfortunately, they nodded.

The trio just moved on away from the smelly pile while Toothless ate his fill. But the longer they walked, the more Hiccup struggled. He continuously limped on his left leg, but he refused to take a break until they made it up to the club house.

.

The day continued on mostly like normal, well, if you count having a Hideous Zippleback creepily following you all day as normal. It had barely been a few hours, and already, Hiccup was down to his last spare prosthetic. Unfortunately for everyone, this just made Hiccup more and more angry, but Barf and Belch were staying unnaturally close.

As soon as Gobber gave his opinion on the matter of why the two headed dragon continuously followed him, he growled in anger. Phantom raised his head in shock at the guttural sound coming from him, but stayed silent and observed.

As soon as his prosthetics were back in order, everyone left to get back to their job of building the watchtower on the Northern side. Shadow had been excused from this so she could give Phantom a tour of Dragons Edge.

The human formed dragons wandered around the base together, with Phantom's eyes mainly on hers. But every once and a while, they stopped at a particular spot to inspect the gear. The two of them were inspecting the Dome, still currently under construction, when some warbles and purrs caught their attention, as well as Hiccup's cries for help.

But when they looked up, they saw Hiccup bored and hanging upside down and calling for Barf and Belch to rescue him. Immediately, Shadow knew what he was up to, and she shook her head in disappointment, he was such a bad actor. The two headed dragon saw this too, and didn't fall for the stupid trick.

Phantom just watched with an amused smirk.

.

The next 'incident' happened when Shadow was showing her brethren the best places to hunt in the forest on the island. They were stalking their way through the trees in pursuit of a boar, when they first heard it.

Shadow sniffed the air with her powerful nose, and her ears twitched as she focused on the noise. "Oh no. Hiccup!" She bounded off in an instant, and broke through the trees that barred her path.

There he was, standing stock still in the middle of the hill, whilst fifteen or so massive logs rolled down the hill towards him. He could see them, but he wasn't moving. "Hiccup, move!" she screamed at him. But he still didn't move.

Without warning, she lunged forward, running on all fours to where he stood frozen. She cannoned into him at full pelt, knocking him backwards and the two fell to the ground, rolling out of the way of the massive logs.

Once the dust settled, Shadow unfurled her winds from around them both and looked up. Hiccup's eyes were wide and he was shaking. But before either of them could move, Barf and Belch's heads loomed over them, licking the two of them with their forked tongues.

Phantom ran over to the two of them and helped them both up, checking for injuries. Thankfully there were none. But when Hiccup took a step, and his left leg gave out under him, Phantom realised that he might have missed one. Hiccup gasped in pain and grit his teeth.

Hiccup couldn't walk, his leg was hurt from the prosthetic digging into him when he fell, and the prosthetic itself was broken.

Shadow held onto him, and made sure he was supported before turning to Phantom. "Can you do me a favour and scare the living daylights out of those two twins please? I don't want them to even think of doing something like this again."

Phantom smirked devilishly and nodded, then left to track down the runaway brother and sister, as well as keep the Zippleback away from Hiccup before anything else happened. He should be find, she thought, it was the twins that should be worried.

If her memory of Phantom served her well, they would be having nightmares of ghosts for weeks.

And she did not feel sorry for them either.


	17. River-Tide

**hey guys, just so you know, this is a little bit of fluff between our two main characters Shadow and Hiccup. this is meant to show how their relationship is progressing, and therefore add more tension when things get more heated between rivals.**

Shadow carried Hiccup all the way back to his cabin and up to his room. All the way there, she kept asking if he was ok or was in pain, but the stubborn bastard refused to show he was in any pain at all, despite it being clearly evident on his face. His skin was flushed and he was sweating, but he kept pushing himself on.

Finally, when he crashed down onto his bed, he let out a pained moan and clutched his leg. Hiccup lay there for a few minutes, waiting for the agony to subside before he even thought about moving. He forced himself to sit up and put his legs over the edge of the bed to see how bad it was.

Shadow knelt down on the floor in front of him to see what kind of damage there was to his leg, but Hiccup refused to let her see, claiming it was already hideous.

The humanoid dragon just looked at him deadpan. "Hiccup, I have seen many grotesque things in my life, trust me, your leg isn't going to look bad to me or make me think less of you. Just let me take a look at it."

Finally relenting, he let her take hold of the prosthetic and pull it off, then roll the leg of his pants up so she could see the injury.

It looked bad, but she had definitely seen worse. The prosthetic he was using wasn't really designed for comfort like his main one, it was just for functionality, so therefore because of it, the skin on his leg was red and irritated, and there were a few cuts and it was bleeding.

Shadow quickly stood up and went over to his small wash basin in the corner, and grabbed a cloth and wet it in the basin. She then returned to her spot on the floor, her wings scraping against the floorboards, and her tail laying limp behind her. With her clawed hand, she gently held his leg still while she used the other to wipe away the dirt and blood.

Hiccup groaned every time she touched his leg, it was incredibly painful, but after a while it lessened. Shadow looked up at him as she tended to his leg, and asked if he had any other cuts anywhere else on his body. He looked over himself to check. His armour had a few puncture marks in it from her claws, which pierced all the way through. When he told her this, she told him to take if off so she could get to it next.

Reluctantly, he pulled his armour and undershirt off in front of her. For a few agonizingly long moments the two of them just stared at each other. Shadow's eyes flickered over him with interest, while Hiccup saw her eyes darken slightly. Tearing her gaze away, she went back to tending his leg.

Her hands massaged the amputated leg to rid him of any pain, and in response he couldn't stop himself from making small sounds, indicting he was enjoying it. She liked hearing those sounds from him, and experimented on him, seeing what kind of reactions she could get from what.

Hiccup was like putty in her claws, and eagerly responded to her touch, especially when her hands started to wander further and further up his leg, onto his thigh.

But some part of his brain refused to allow her to do as she pleased, as his blood heated at her touch he desperately held himself back with everything he had.

"Shadow… Should you really do this to me?" he breathed. Shadow's hand stopped where it was, inching further towards his inner thigh. Her silver eyes looked at his curiously, with hints of her wanting to continue.

"Now that there is another one of your kind here… shouldn't you be with him?" he timidly asked.

Shadow sat up on her knees so she was almost level with his face, half standing in between his knees.

"Hiccup, why would I drop you simply because Phantom showed up? We used to be close, yes, but that was over a century ago. A hundred years can change a person, and I don't know how much he has changed since I last knew him."

As she spoke, her hands started moving again, her claws scraping against the material of his pants.

"A Black Moon's life is like a very long river. In the time it takes to get to the end, many things happen, but not all of them stay the same over that time. Like a ripple in water, sometimes it affects us, but in time it goes away. A few little ripples can't change the tide. Phantom did affect my life greatly, but since he had been gone, it's like the tide has returned to normal. But now… with you, the tide is changing again."

Her hands started moving closer to his hips, and rubbing over his inner thighs. She took a heavy breath and looked deep into his eyes, searching for something almost. He gazed back into hers like they were a pool of molten silver or steel.

"Every time you have affected my life, it leaves a ripple in the river, and even after these two short years, you have changed my life greatly."

Her gorgeous silver eyes roamed over him, taking in all the blemishes on his skin, some left because of her. The whip mark left from Dagur because she couldn't save him soon enough to be spared from that fate. The small claw marks she only just gave him when pushing him out the way of those logs, saving his life. And the bite mark on his collarbone she gave him, marking him as hers.

Those silver eyes darkened again with desire, her hands roamed over him up his legs and onto his hips. She tugged him forward, and he moved with her willingly, sliding off the bed and onto the floor with her. She pulled him forward until he was sitting in her lap, her larger size looming over him.

"You, my River-Tide, are who I want to be with now. If you will have me."

Hiccup didn't hesitate, and seized her lips with his. His blood was racing, and he just couldn't deny himself any longer. His lips moved against hers, and his teeth pulled on her lower lip with a groan.

He wrapped his legs around her body underneath her wings, and arched his back as her claws raked down his skin. Their tongues danced together and their teeth clashed, occasionally biting down on the others tongue or lip. Breathless, they broke apart, their chests heaving.

"You know what… I quite like the sound of River-Tide."


	18. Slowly changing

It was quite some time later when they separated. Shadow was looking over the broken prosthetics, seeing what could be salvaged, and how they could be improved, while Hiccup went out to grab some food. He pushed open the big mechanical door to his hut and casually strolled out as if he hadn't done anything with the female dragon.

"Hey." Hiccup froze and turned his head. There was Snotlout looking arrogant once more.

"Hey?" he replied.

 _Whack!_ Snotlout's fist came out of nowhere and punched him right on the face, knocking him to the ground. "What is wrong with you?!" he yelled.

"Hiccup Haddock, I'm calling you out. Defend yourself!" Snotlout challenged. He then rushed towards Hiccup, arms swinging wide with a crazed look on his face. Hiccup dodged him expertly, despite the throbbing pain in his leg from earlier.

Snotlout came at him with an axe, screaming like a madman, and got it lodged in the walkway right between Hiccup's knees where he lay startled on the ground. "Fight me." He whispered.

"Wait, what?" he said.

"I said, fight me. WHATS THAT HICCUP? You want to fight to the DEATH?!" he screamed. Hiccup's eyes widened, and he stood up to defend himself from the wide swinging axe.

Shadow ran out of the cabin when she heard crashing, and immediately she assessed the situation. Phantom too had run from where ever he was previously to find out what the commotion was. Shadow and Phantom were rewarded with the sight of the future chief and his cousin fighting each other, well, his cousin attacking him.

Hiccup just sighed when Snotlout's wide swings got the axe stuck in a wooden table, where it wouldn't budge. He turned away from Snotlout, intending to finish the task he started before this stupidity ensued, but the black haired teen came up behind him and flicked him on the ear.

"Ow! I'm not going to fight you Snotlout!" he cried. Then he turned around again and started walking off. "You see that, the future chief is a coward! Come on, hit me. You know you want too." He taunted.

Phantom's interest peaked. Such an open challenge like that couldn't be ignored, to do so would be a disgrace. More so, Snotlout referenced his title, meaning that the chiefdom to Berk was just thrown in as a prize for the victor.

Both Shadow and Phantom knew just how dire this situation had grown. And Hiccup wasn't known to fall for his cousin's taunts. He could very well lose his status as heir to the throne of Berk if he didn't make a move and win.

But Hiccup rounded on his challenger, rage flaring in his eyes, lips curled back in a snarl, and stood above Snotlout with his greater height.

"Fine." he snarled. "But remember, you wanted this…" Hiccup pulled his fist back, teeth bared in anger, and threw his arm forward with such speed and strength that it knocked Snotlout flat on his back. The shorter teen screamed in shock and pain.

Hiccup growled at his arrogant cousin as he stood, nose broken and bleeding, crying in pain. "What did you do that for?!" he spat, before he fell backwards again and was knocked out.

Phantom looked on from his vantage point, which was level with the twins in their perch. The humanoid dragon's eyes were wide at the defiance shown in that hit, and how Hiccup's eyes flashed with held back strength.

"That was incredible…" one of the twins said in absolute shock. "Who knew, that that scrawny little Viking had _that_ in him." The other said in astonishment. "That's it, there's nothing left. But on the bright side, Snotlout did just get punched in the face."

Back down at Hiccup's cabin, Shadow grabbed him by the shoulder, holding him back somewhat as his eyes bore into the limp form of Snotlout lying on the floor.

Hiccup practically growled every time he took a breath, and he continuously bared his teeth at the knocked out body bleeding on the floor. " _Get the twins to deal with him. I want everyone up at the Clubhouse, now."_ He growled to her in dragon-speak.

.

Not long later, everyone was seated in the Clubhouse nervously. Hiccup was up and pacing, often growling to himself, while the others sat around the place. Their leaders' new behaviour was concerning Shadow, she had never seen him act like this before, and didn't understand what was causing it.

Barf and Belch seemed happy, but that was because they had just offered the one legged teen a huge pile of fish. Continuously they crooned at him, trying to lick his face and hug him like he was a gift from the gods. Hiccup was having none of it, and snarled at them to stay away.

"Ok, I don't know what has gotten into you, but it's gone on long enough. Getting Snotlout to attack me was taking it way too far. One of us could have been killed. Do you ever think before acting?"

"That's the thing Hiccup, you my friend, are a really bad actor. We needed a real response so Barf and Belch would seriously believe that you were in danger and come to rescue you." Said Tuffnut.

"By almost getting Snotlout barbecued?" Hiccup said, deadpan. Ruffnut gestured to him as if saying 'well yeah…'

Hiccup snarled and bared his teeth at the two of them. He then rounded on them and walked out. "I need some time to clear my head, alone."

.

"What's the deal with the Viking chief's son?" asked Phantom. "I might have only been here for a few days, but that incident down at his cabin, it seemed like something that he normally wouldn't do."

Shadow turned to him and thought. They were back in Dragons Lair, sitting in the common area by a large fireplace. The smoke billowed out of the cave through a tunnel directly above, and the light from the flames made the whole room glow. Shadow was lying on a large pile of furs so she could extend her wings out flat behind her, and Phantom was seated on a stone chair, another fur was draped over that for comfort.

"I don't know what's gotten into him. That wasn't like him at all. He's usually the most level headed person here and never acts in anger. This was a first. It could be the stress from having to run this base, while at the same time keeping an eye out for Dagur and Grey." She said. Said hunters and maniacs were still on the loose unfortunately.

"I overheard him speaking in the dragons tongue. You must have taught him how to speak it, why?" he asked.

"I decided he was worthy of that knowledge. He learns quickly, and has good intentions. He has a thirst for knowledge unlike those who I have seen before, but all of that knowledge and desire to learn is reserved for how to make everyone's lives better."

She sat up out of the pile of furs and neatly tucked her wings behind her. Her tail wrapped itself around her, and she then started inspecting the blade for flaws.

"He has shown great promise, and his first thoughts are always for those around him, human or dragon, before himself. He helped the Night Fury fly again after he tore his tail fin off, without any real regard for what it would do to him, or what his people would think. He's managed to unite humans and dragons within a few short years, against all odds." She said. Phantom narrowed his eyes as he thought.

"Tell me, what has he done for you? How has he made you feel welcome in your little group?" He asked with interest.

"First time I met him was right after a transformation, he had no idea who I was or where I came from. He logically should have left me there in my own suffering, but he helped me, patched me up. He kept on checking if I was ok, since I was in a new place and knew nothing about them, and often stayed by my side."

Phantom listened with rapt attention, learning about the young man that barred his way. He wanted to learn all about him, to know whether or not he would be some kind of competition for him later. Phantom kept all his thoughts and emotions under lock and key, not letting his true intentions show though just yet. He needed to learn more about his possible opponent.

"Even after they started to suspect me of lying to them, he kept making me feel like a part of their ragtag bunch of teens. He even made me a set of armour, since I only had the clothes on my back."

So Hiccup had given her a gift hmm? He thought to himself. His nerves tingled in warning, that there could be more to their connection that he cannot see.

He shifted in his chair, wrapping his coat around him tighter. "How close were they to finding out what you were?"

"Not long after I arrived, probably a few days, they realised that something about me was amiss. To be honest it wasn't one of the best time I had assimilated, probably the worst actually. He soon found out about the Black Moon dragons, and tried to find out what connection I had to it, probably to find out if I posed a threat to his family and friends."

Another thing which Phantom learned, Hiccup was incredibly intelligent, although some of those factors may have been caused by Shadow herself, if he managed to find out about the Black Moon, then either he was very persuasive or very observant. This could cause a problem later, depending on the situation.

"How exactly did he react when he did discover what you were?" he asked. This time, instead of thinking of Hiccup in a friendly manner, of which he could see reflected in her eyes, her face fell.

"He actually saw me transform in front of him." Phantom's eyes snapped open in shock. "His entire village had been overrun while we were gone. I bound him into a contract to use when I needed him, and had him take me as far away from the village as he could on the black moon. But we had to race back, and we found these warriors called the Outcasts laying siege to the island. Hiccup ended up getting captured whilst I was hidden." Shadow gripped onto her tail harder while she relived the memory.

"I tried to assassinate the Outcast leader, but I too was captured, right before midnight too. Hiccup was tortured in front of me, and I just couldn't hold back… He saw me transform, he watched as my wings and tail grew, and I morphed into the great black beast… in that moment I saw so much fear in him. It is because of that moment that he fears me, he knows what I can do, what I am. But in that same moment, I saw what he was too." Shadow took a shuddering breath.

"He challenged me after I destroyed the Outcast army. He stood alone against me, and won. That scrawny little Viking managed to beat me even when an army couldn't, but then, he submitted to me and gave me the perfect opportunity to kill him."

Phantom could feel his heart racing at her words. The way her words pierced him with such raw emotion that she felt was mesmerising and terrifying. As she spoke, he imagined the young man standing on front of the black creature which they could transform into, his small form dwarfed by her massive body. How could someone so small defeat the great black beast? What possible trick could he have used to make Shadow bow down to him? It shouldn't have been possible.

Shadow lifted her gaze, and saw the confusion and anger in his eyes. He couldn't understand how he won, and it was driving him insane. "He placed his trust in me, despite being a deadly dragon that could eat him in one bite, and turned away and placed his arm out towards me. He placed his trust in me, even after watching me transform and destroy the army, he still trusted me… and I returned it."

Subconsciously Shadow rubbed the spot on her chest where Alvin's sword had struck her. Phantom saw the movement but didn't comment, he knew that when she had that particular look in her eyes that he should not ask about it. Shadow sat there, frozen in place as she remembered feeling the sharpened steel cut through her flesh just clear of her heart. Sure, she had been stabbed and injured many times before, most of which should have killed her, but that moment when Alvin's sword stabbed into her chest that was the one moment when she felt closest to death.

Phantom stood up and went over to where she sat on the pile of furs, being mindful of her wings, he sat down next to her and curled his body around hers in comfort. He just couldn't sit by while he watched the torment in her eyes threaten to spill tears. She didn't need to say a word about what happened after that, whatever it was that was causing her pain now, it wasn't Hiccup who caused it for her. In fact, perhaps the reason she stayed this whole time is because the young Viking helped her get past that pain.

Meaning he had some competition…

Suddenly, Astrid and the others burst into the room. "Is Hiccup with you?" asked Astrid desperately. Shadow shook her head. "I though he went out for a walk."

"He's been gone for hours and didn't take Toothless with him. He should have been back by now. We are starting to get worried."

Shadow stood up and took charge, directing the teens to their stations so they could find him. "Start at the walk in entrance from the base, Fishlegs. Follow any of his tracks you see and try and find him on the ground. Astrid, you and Stormfly circle over the forest expanding outwards and look for him from the sky. Snotlout, you fly around the edge of the island for any possible invaders. I hate to say it, but there could be the possibility that he was kidnapped, and I don't want to leave anything out. Phantom, you have exceptional eyesight, I want you to pair up with Astrid. I'll take care of the twins."


	19. Attacked by Dagur

Everyone went to their dragons and mounted up. Shadow took a few moments to run back and grab a leather garment and put it on, securing the straps in place, then trigger her transformation. Phantom stopped to stare. Her skin darkened and new scales grew to cover her body, then she fell onto all fours while her bones reshaped themselves. Her body convulsed and shuddered as she grew into a much larger size and her wings and tail elongated. Phantom couldn't help but stare in awe at her. He had never actually seen another one of his kind change into their dragon form without being subjected to it himself. It was a grotesque sight, but oddly beautiful as she shifted. The harness she put on before she transformed stretched and morphed with her and it too grew in size to accommodate her large body.

Finally, she stood there in all her glory, strapped in her harness and standing proudly above the other dragons. The twins ran over to her, bridal in hand and secured it to her horns before climbing onto her back. Everyone else jumped onto their dragons and took off to their allocated positions.

" _You two, I need you to find your Zippleback. Barf and Belch wouldn't stop running after Hiccup, so they must be near him. Therefore we need to find that dragon, and then we should find Hiccup."_ Shadow growled.

The twins, worried for their dragon, called out into the growing night while Shadow flew over the island, but once they came to the northern side of Dragons Edge, Shadow's flying faltered. There in the water, was a gigantic ship, swarming with armed men. Shadow's keen eyesight could make out two key figures on the deck, Hiccup and Dagur.

She growled and started to fly down, but out of nowhere, the Zippleback jumped in to protect the young future chief. Chaos ensued on-board of the ship, with Zippleback gas spewing everywhere and explosions happening left, right and centre.

Hiccup managed to break free of his binds and tried to come up with an escape, whilst at the same time, fighting off Dagur and his men. He wouldn't last long, outnumbered as he was, so Shadow spurred herself on, if only to get Barf and Belch under control first by using the twins. She dive bombed the ship, and pulled up at the last moment, while the twins jumped off her back. They ran towards their dragon when he got wrapped up in a net and fell into the water over the side.

Shadow growled when Dagur laughed in glee and attacked Hiccup, then banked hard around to fly as close as she could to the deranged man. Wind rushed by her face and over her horns, under her wings and down her body as she allowed gravity to pull her down.

At the last moment, she roared, catching the attention of Dagur. Her bellowing roar echoed around with an intense ferocity, undoubtedly catching the attention of the riders close by, and stunning any human on board the ship. Dagur's momentary lapse of concentration caused him to trip over backwards, and crash to the ground when Shadow cannoned towards him, and scratched the air right next to his head. Three of her claws made contact with his skull, and ripped through the skin above his hairline.

Dagur was out for the count now. Now Hiccup was free to run about on the ship, without being pursued by the madman, but the other soldiers still hunted him. Shadow continuously rained hell down upon them, but held herself back. Hiccup was still on that ship, and she couldn't get close enough to rescue him just yet.

The Zippleback and the twins burst out of the water with cries of triumph, and started to blow the ship to smithereens. The other riders started arriving at the same time and added their firepower to the onslaught. Finally, the deck was clear, and Shadow could land to give Hiccup an escape. She crashed on board the ship with a splintering sound, and lowered her head so he could climb on.

Dagur awoke just in time to see him astride the one creature he knew to be feared, the demon. There he was, sitting on the back of the great black beast, that demonic entity. She roared at him, and Hiccup slapped the reigns to command her into the air. Her wings unfurled, flashing with stars and she launched into the air.

In absolute horror and fear, Dagur screamed at his men to retreat, before the demon returned. He didn't have the knowledge or strength to face that beast.


	20. Battle of the Rivals

**hehehehe, now things start to get hectic. Ever wanted to see a Black Moon try to court another, and ever wanted to know how two rivals would fight... well here you go. Enjoy! Leave a review.**

Some days later, everything had _finally_ returned to normal. Well, as normal as it could get with a lanky future chief, an angry shield maiden, a bookworm, an arrogant ass, a pair of crazy twins, and two dragons in human bodies, one of which was a hybrid. The ragtag bunch had grown accustomed to bad things happening on a regular basis, and knew that soon, something would inevitably happen. But right now, they would enjoy the day.

All their work was done, there was no immediate danger and all the sentries were protecting the island. Therefore, they had an excuse to have a day off. Everyone ran around excitedly, grabbing food, bedrolls, an extra pair of clothes and whatever else they needed. They were having a beach day.

Once the sun had risen and they all had breakfast, the teens and their dragons walked down to the sandy, pure white beach that was protected by the bay.

Everyone lay their furs and bedrolls down on the warm sand, along with their supplies, then undid the saddles on their dragons, allowing them to run around in the water freely without damaging them.

The twins and Snotlout practically tore off their extra clothing, leaving them in their swimming gear, before running onto the cool water with screams of joy. Astrid shook her head at their antics, and started to remove her armour and outer layers too.

Fishlegs did the same, but didn't go into the water just yet, and passed Phantom something from his bag. "It's a lotion." He explained. "You were trapped in that cell for too long, now your skin is incredibly pale so you are more likely to get a really bad burn."

Phantom smirked and shrugged off his black coat. Shadow, Astrid, Ruffnut, and even some of the boys stopped to stare. The male Black Moon shed his outer clothing and sat there in a pair of leggings, giving almost everything away, and leaving him bare chested. Phantom was a perfect specimen, with hard, toned muscles, strong shoulders, rock hard abs, and overall a perfect figure. His pale white skin didn't make him look any less attractive, in fact, it somehow enhanced it. Seeing him like that made most of the guys feel extremely jealous and the girls swoon.

Phantom then grabbed the jar of lotion and started lathering himself in it, all over his chest, letting the oils drip down his chest. Ruffnut fainted at the sight, and Astrid's face turned an interesting shade of red, but she couldn't look away. Shadow was shamelessly staring at his glorious body, watching him rub the oils into his skin and leave him with a tantalizing shine.

But when she looked up, tearing her gaze away from his rock solid chest, she could see him smirking at her. Oh, she knew exactly what he was doing. That naughty drake. Offering himself up like a piece of meat.

He stopped rubbing the lotion over his chest, and picked up the jar, holding it out to Shadow in offering. "I'm willing if you desire it…" he said seductively.

Naughty, naughty, naughty.

Ruffnut, who had only just stood up, fainted again. And Astrid was fanning her face from the heat. Shadow smirked and chuckled. That dastardly dragon, offering himself to her to do as she pleased.

It was quite often in their culture that a male, or multiple males, would offer themselves to a female, to let them 'try them out'. It allowed the female to use them as they wished, and to see if they would be suitable as a mate. And Phantom was doing just that. So that was his intention eh? To become her mate.

Well, in all fairness, she wasn't officially attached to Hiccup, and to refuse an offer like he was making was practically an insult. In fact, she was being welcomed to use him, and if she wasn't happy, she could always refuse him later. It was the female that always had the final say anyway.

Still smirking, Shadow stood up and swaggered over to the willing drake, took the lotion, and sat down behind him with her knees either side of his hips. The others watched in astonishment as Shadow shamelessly ran her clawed hands over his toned back, touching as much as she pleased, and rubbing the oils into his skin.

Hiccup on the other hand, was fuming. His blood boiled at the sight of her with the other male, and he absolutely growled with annoyance. If that was how it was going to be, then fine. Two could play at that game.

Hiccup stood up and unbuckled his armour, letting it fall to the ground, and took off his undershirt. He ran a hand through his hair and puffed out his chest. Now everyones eyes were flicking over to him, and god, they were astonished. To be honest, none of them ever imagined Hiccup having _that_ figure.

They had expected him to have some muscle, dragon riding and combat training tended to do that, but damn, they were not expecting him to look like that. He was practically Phantom's equal. And holy hell, the scars he had on his chest and back made him look twice as hot.

Hiccup had no idea what was driving him to do this, strutting around and showing off, but it felt instinctual. Phantom was offering to Shadow, who was practically officially with him, and he felt compelled to challenge him to that. It was almost as if these instinctual desires that felt so natural, were not his.

Phantom's eyes locked onto his and sized him up. This Viking wouldn't be able to stand up to a Black Moon's might if it came down to a brawl, but he would be able to hold his own for a while. He had no idea how much of their culture Shadow had taught him, but Phantom was sure he could win against him.

But wait… What was _that_! It couldn't be. There was no way… but it was. Proudly adorning his collarbone, was a bite mark. And not just any bite, no, Phantom knew exactly what that meant. He was marked, by her!

Outraged, Phantom stood up and strode over to him, every muscle quivering with anger. Hiccup advanced on him as well, a similar look in his eyes. Everyone watched with baited breath to understand what was going on. None of them could look away.

As soon as he was in range, Phantom threw a lightning fast punch, right for Hiccup's face. It connected with a loud smack, but Hiccup didn't go down. Instead, Hiccup retaliated with a snarl, and sent his fist back at him. The two boys roared and snarled at one another, throwing and dodging punches.

Those around them were yelling and screaming to stop, but neither of them backed down. Blood boiled and adrenaline spiked, while pure testosterone fuelled them on. Phantom threw a punch as hard as he could for Hiccup's stomach, which connected with a painful whack and sent him reeling backwards.

Phantom dropped to all fours and snarled a challenge, and without falter, Hiccup did the same, dropping onto his hands and knees like it was the most natural thing in the world, and roared back at him. They charged, and smashed into each other like Alpha dragons out for one another's blood.

Their heads were lowered, trapped between each-others' shoulders and their hands grabbed each other by the forearms to try and leaver them into a position to loose. But neither of them budged. They continuously charged against one another, stuck in a deadlock that the others were too afraid of to get close.

Finally, Shadow stepped in and broke them apart, snarling like an animal. "ENOUGH!" she roared in fury.

Phantom and Hiccup stood up, heaving chests and snarling at their opponent, ready to continue at a moment's notice. "You've marked him! He's a human and you marked him! How could you?!" Phantom screeched.

"You would choose to dilute your blood with his instead of keeping it pure? Its an outrage! He stole you from me!" he screamed, pointing his clawed hand at Hiccup in disgust and anger.

"YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!" he roared. Hiccup took a deep breath and bellowed out the most animalistic sound they had ever heard. It was a roar that could rival a fully grown Black Moon.

"Hiccup Haddock, I challenge you for the right to Shadow Void-Wing!" Phantom growled in pure rage. Hiccup growled in return. "Challenge accepted."

Shadow strode between the two, looking back and forth. "May the best drake win."


	21. and so it begins

**Sorry about the long wait people. Internet is being a bitch, and my younger brother has almost used it all up... the bastard. anyway, enjoy. and please leave reviews, they make me happy and want to update more.**

"How could you allow this to happen? How could you sit back and watch as those two tried to rip each other apart? Why Shadow, why?" yelled Astrid.

"If you would calm down and stop yelling I would explain." Shadow said calmly. Still fuming, Astrid stopped pacing and sat down in a stone chair in front of Shadow. "Alright then. Explain." She demanded.

"Alright, let me start at the beginning. You remember back when Hiccup was captured by Dagur and I pretended to be a demon in order to help him escape?" Astrid nodded. "Well, what happened inside that cave was this: Dagur didn't believe my disguise and thought I was an imposter, so I proved to him that I was by biting Hiccup and marking him. I got carried away however and instead of marking him as my property, I held on too long and accidently marked him as my potential mate. The equivalent of a boyfriend." Astrid started nodding slowly as things started to make sense.

"When Phantom showed up, I could practically feel secret intentions from him, and I found out a little while ago that he had intentions to make me his mate. Black Moon culture dictates that if a male wishes to take a female for a mate, whether there is competition or not, he offers himself to the female so she can 'try him out'. That's what Phantom was doing at the beach by showing off. He was allowing me to use him as I pleased to decide if he would be a suitable mate."

Shadow took a breath and continued on. "I've taught Hiccup a lot about my culture, and I believe that he must have picked up on Phantom's behaviour. It is my belief that by marking him, it has somehow influenced Hiccup's thoughts of me, and he felt compelled to stake his claim against Phantom. Hiccup has more of a claim on me than Phantom does, despite being a human."

Now Astrid eyes went slightly wider as she figured the rest out. "So when Phantom saw the mark on Hiccup, he saw it as an insult that you chose him and not one of your own kind. So he attacked Hiccup and challenged him to steal that claim."

"Correct. And now that the challenge has been initiated and accepted, there isn't anything we can do until a victor has been decided. If it ends in a draw then the two must fight. Whoever wins either was has the right to ask permission to court me."

Astrid sat in thought for a few minutes thinking about this situation. "So what exactly is this challenge?" She asked.

"For this contest I will need your help. I'm not allowed to have contact with either of them, so I need you to pass messages back and forth, and to give them information on the stages of the contest. The contest requires them to present gifts to me, to show their own abilities, strengths and values. The first stage is to show how well they can provide for me, the second is meant to find out how well they can protect me. The third is to show how useful they are to me, so I can see for myself that I am not meant to be a trophy to them. Next stage is for them to show exactly how much value they place in me, and the final one, the tie breaker, is to see how much skill and talent they have. The reason I need you is to present their gifts to me so I cant be bias and choose one because I favour them. Only for the tie breaker can I see them." She explained.

Astrid nodded in understanding. "So what do you want me to tell them?"

Shadow thought for a minute before answering. "Tell them what I have told you about the contest itself. They can search for gifts ahead of time if they choose. And tell them that the first contest starts tomorrow when the sun rises. They will have until sunset to show how well they can provide. If they ask for extra information, tell them that the gift required is some kind of food. The second contest will begin at sunrise the next day."

Her questions answered, Astrid got up and prepared to leave. But then she stopped. "I'm curious though. Who are you rooting for the most?" she asked the dragon girl.

Shadow smiled. "The one who is more connected to dragons…"

Astrid looked at her curiously, but left without another word, secretly smirking to herself. She thought Shadow meant Phantom, the other Black Moon. But Shadow was thinking otherwise.

"Good luck River-Tide," she whispered to herself in the gloom. "I hope you win."

.

.

.

Phantom and Hiccup stood shoulder to shoulder outside of Dragons Lair while they waited for Astrid. Both of them growled at the other in disgust and hatred for even thinking about taking Shadow from them. Patiently, and with great self-control, they waited.

Astrid exited the cave no long after, and went right up to them both. "The rules of the contest are clear. You two cannot fight with each other, rule number one. Second, you need to find certain gifts for Shadow, and she will pick a victor each time. Shadow cannot see you when she chooses the victor for each contest. First one starts tomorrow at dawn. You'll need to find some kind of food to prove how well you can hunt."

Both males nodded. Hiccup was already formulating a plan, meanwhile Phantom was doing the same. They would see who could come up with the better choice.

"As Shadow said, may the best drake win." Said Astrid. Hiccup smirked and turned to Phantom. "I plan to."

Phantom turned to him on anger, a growl resonating from deep in his chest. "You are no drake. You're not a dragon. You're a disgrace. How can you call yourself a dragon if you can't even fly?" he taunted.

"Well when you think about it, neither can you right now." Hiccup taunted. "But that will soon change."


	22. the first contest

At dawn the next morning, the two combatants got up to prepare. They had until sundown to present Shadow with whatever spoils of the hunt they could get. Phantom was sure he could win this. With his unmatched skill in stealth, he could stalk twice as many animals as that scrawny fishbone in half the time, providing much more food than he possibly could. Hiccup was no hunter, he thought. This contest was in the bag.

Hiccup on the other hand, was smirking to himself as he went over to the stables on Dragons edge. He had already formulated a plan to win, and was absolutely certain it would gain him favour.

He watched as Phantom went to the armoury by Astrid's cabin to retrieve a bow and quiver, but he made no move to follow, or any move to give away what he was up to.

When he went into the stable and found Toothless, he couldn't help the devilish smirk on his lips. Excitedly, he grabbed the saddle and prosthetic tailfin and started attaching them to the Night Fury.

"Come on bud. You up for a morning flight?" he asked cheerily. Toothless warbled in happiness and licked his face. Laughing, Hiccup went over to the stores and grabbed a net and some rope, storing them in the saddlebags.

"Good, 'cuse we are on a mission. We are going fishing. And I'm going to need your help."

.

Phantom stalked silently through the undergrowth on the island, his feet not making a single sound. It was uncanny how well he could ghost through the trees in pursuit of his prey.

It was already noon, and he was still on the prowl for boar. Two of the beasts were back at his temporary camp, bleeding out and gutted, ready to be taken back, while he searched for another one.

But this was when his misfortunes started stacking up against him. Those blasted twins were hunting boars too for their stupid pit, and with their Zippleback helping them, he was the unfortunate one, and had trouble finding one before they did. The twins caught boars left, right and centre, while he couldn't keep up.

Finally, he managed to find and kill two more before the twins got them. Four boars should be enough to please Shadow, he thought. But before he could start moving to get them back to camp, the Zippleback landed behind him.

"Hey, what do you think you are doing?" yelled one of them.

"Those are out boars!" yelled the other one.

Phantom turned and stood his ground against the two headed dragon and its two riders. "Aren't you aware of the contest between me and your leader for Shadow? The contest is meant to decide who hunts better. And you are getting in my way." He said calmly.

"Still, those are out boars, you cant just take them." Said the twin on his left. The female twin he thought.

"How many boars do you have?" he asked slyly. The male twin puffed out his chest in pride, like it was him that actually did all the work. "We have fifteen."

Phantom's eye twitched. "Whats one more boar to you? Your fifteen to my two, surely you could allow me to hunt more than that since there are obviously plenty to go around."

"Well you see, my good sir," said Tuffnut. "We cannot simply give these boars away, oh no. that would be un-profitable. I will however allow you to take one if you can prove your worth." He said.

This time, the female twin butted in. "If you really want, you can fight him of one."

Phantom smirked. This was something he could easily do. "Alright then, I accept your challenge. What do you have in mind in exchange for the boar?"

"I vote for a headbutting contest." Said the female twin. "We aren't going to make things easy for you. Tuffnut here has one of the hardest skulls in Berk. I know, because I've tried to break it a few times. All you have to do is bash him over the head with your own until one of you wins."

Oh this was too easy, thought Phantom. Tuffnut dismounted his dragon and walked up to him. The two stood ready for a moment while Ruffnut called the count.

"One, two, three. Smash!" she called.

Tuffnut lunged forward with a war cry, and Phantom lunged forward with a growl. Their heads connected with a smash and a dull thud. Tuffnut fell backwards, completely dazed, and fell on his ass. Phantom shook his head to clear it, and get rid of the stars buzzing around his vision. Thankfully, a Black Moon's skull is exceptionally tough for this very sort of thing.

Tuffnut, despite his hard skull and metal helmet, was no match for him. Consequently, he was now lying on the floor, his eyes unfocused, and mumbling incoherent words.

Smirking with triumph, Phantom walked over to the huge net the Zippleback was carrying, and lugged out the largest boar as his spoils. Five boars in total, that should help him win the contest for sure.

Slowly, he dragged the three boars with him back to his temporary camp, thinking how he could get all five back before sundown. But as soon as he entered the clearing, his face paled in horror. One of his boars was already eaten, and the second one being devoured by a trio of Terrible Terrors. A red one, an orange one, and a yellow one.

"Get out of here you dirty scavengers!" he screamed. The three Terrors fled.

There was no way he could present that half eaten boar to Shadow, and obviously he couldn't give her a pile of bones. Boar count: three.

.

.

.

Half an hour till sundown and finally, _finally_ , Phantom managed to drag his three boars back to Dragons Edge. Each one had been blead out, gutted, and skinned, ready to be cooked over an open flame later tonight for a feast.

Everyone was gathered outside the entrance to the Dragon's Lair, ready to present the two offerings to the female Black Moon. But Hiccup was nowhere to be found. Neither was Toothless. Everyone was starting to get worried.

The sun was setting fast, and if he didn't show up soon, he wouldn't be counted. A win by default to Phantom. But just before the drake could get his hopes up on an easy victory, they heard wing flaps overhead.

Toothless flew towards the cave entrance, with something large in his claws and Hiccup on his back, who was smirking in triumph. The Night Fury dropped the enormous package with a thump, and landed on a section of clear ground.

"Thanks for your help with him bud." He said as he scratched Toothless under the chin.

Curiously, Phantom sniffed the massive bundle, wrapped in a large net. Hiccup started to pull the net away to expose his hunting spoils. The thing was twisted and bundled up in the net pretty good, but after a time, he managed to pull it off. Inside was a massive great white shark, with claw marks on its head and its brains smashed in, its jaws open and gaping in death with its eyes glazed over.

A massive and impressive kill. A Black Moon's favourite food.

"He put up quite a fight didn't he Toothless? Almost got away from us." He said to his dragon. He looked back to the other teens and asked if they were ready, and they all nodded. Phantom was growling softly.

A few minutes later, the boars and the huge shark were being carried into the cave by the teens, while the two competing drakes waited outside for the verdict. The two of them stood and glared at each other, promising each other that they would come out victorious.

Long minutes went past and neither of them moved, only allowing their eyes to communicate their thoughts. Phantom was trying to tell him to back off, that he had rights to Shadow before he did. And Hiccup was telling him mentally that she had chosen him and was planning on keeping her.

They waited and waited, until finally, Astrid came outside to deliver the news. She looked back and forth between the two and took a breath. "The victor for round one, is Hiccup." She announced.

Phantom snarled and stomped off. To make plans for the second contest, while Hiccup was welcomed inside. They had quite a lot of food with them that night, so they might as well have a feast. Boar and shark was on the menu tonight.

Grinning victoriously, Hiccup went inside.


	23. Evening the playing field

**Hey everyone, sorry about the long wait, internet is running low and things are kinda crap at the moment. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter, and I apologize for it being kinda short. Let me know what you think and what could come of these contests. I have already planned out what will happen and who will win etc, but I want to hear your thoughts. As always, thanks for reading, and please leave a review :)**

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A few short hours later, everyone was inside the Dragons lair, gathered around the central fire in the common room dining on as much meat as they pleased. Those three boars which Phantom caught would feed them well for the next few days, and that huge shark would probably state Shadow's hunger for a week if she tried.

Shadow, in her full dragon form, was feasting away at the large carcass with pleasure, clearly enjoying herself. Phantom's plate was filled with shark meat as well, but he was desperately trying not to enjoy it. It was Hiccup's gift to her after all, and he should not be salivating over something _he_ presented to her.

As he forced himself to slowly chew on the delicious meat from the shark, he desperately tried to come up with a plan for the next contest. He had to present something to show how well he could protect her. A weapon for her would be ideal, but where to get one?

He was clearly at a disadvantage here, and there was a good possibility he could lose. He didn't have his full dragon form, and it wouldn't return for roughly another week, after the end of the contests. He was on an unfamiliar island, and had no idea what was nearby, and also had no way of getting there. Being locked up on that ship for over two months scrambled his knowledge of geography. These were unfamiliar waters to him. And Hiccup had a dragon to help him. Granted, a Night Fury wasn't as good as a Black Moon, but it was a close second. Hiccup could fly anywhere he pleased with that dragon as his ally, whereas Phantom could only go where his feet carried him.

He was definitely at a disadvantage. To level the playing field, either something had to be removed from his rival's side, or added to his own. Sabotage was frowned upon in these sort of competitions, showing that you were weak, a coward, and an unfair player. However, gaining allies and leverage was not frowned upon.

If Hiccup had his Night Fury, then Phantom wanted his own extra player to help him. So while he sat there and munched on his food, he surveyed his possible options. The larger one, Fishlegs, may be a good candidate. With his thirst for knowledge he was bound to know some personal information about their Black Moon resident, but there was not much else. The twins he had to admit, had their uses, with their combined crazy genius, they could possibly come up with sadistically ingenious plans to win those contests, but they were too unpredictable, and only had about one brain shared between the two. Snotlout he didn't even want to consider: he couldn't even take a punch. He wouldn't be useful for anything really. So that left Astrid, the third in command after Shadow, and left hand supporter and shield-maiden to Hiccup himself. She knew Hiccup, probably just as good as Shadow, and definitely better than anyone else. And Phantom was almost certain that she would rather that Shadow be with her own kind, and leave Hiccup available for her. She was a smart woman in a high position of power, a very suitable prospect for an ally.

Yes, Astrid was his best option. So now all he needed to do was see if she would support him in his endeavours, see what she could offer him, and see exactly what her price was.

With a goal in mind, he stood up, placed his half eaten plate down on the stone chair, and went over to the blond haired shield-maiden. She looked up at him as he approached, wondering what he wanted. "Mind if I have a word with you, Lady Astrid?" he asked politely. She smiled and nodded, allowing him to lead her a few meters away to have a private conversation.

"What can I help you with Phantom?" she asked. He quickly stole a glance back to see if anyone was eavesdropping, no one wasn't, but Hiccup and Shadow were talking to one another.

"What do you think of this contest between your alpha male and me?" he asked.

"I think it's all a little silly. We should be focusing on other important things like finding Dagur and Grey. To be completely honest, I don't think Hiccup and Shadow are a good match, I don't even understand the mark she's placed on him, but its making him distracted with her. She's going to live hundreds of years longer than any of us will, so pairing with him isn't going to mean anything in the long term. Besides, because she's really a dragon, and he's a human, I don't understand how heirs would come about from that." She said.

"Female Black Moons cannot produce offspring until mature age; five hundred years. Your culture dictates that the chief and his new wife must produce an heir within twelve months, correct? Even if she could, the offspring would have tainted blood. It would be weak, and ruin future bloodlines." He said to her, hating the image in his brain of the two of them mating.

"It would be better in the long term for everyone if they were with their own kind. And to be honest, I would rather see her with you, and me with him. That would do better for everyone really." Said Astrid, frowning towards the two of them.

Seeing his chance, Phantom played his first card. "That's what I want to talk to you about. Ultimately, in this contest I am at a disadvantage. I cannot properly compete while Hiccup has a Night Fury and all his resources. I was wondering if you would be my ally in this and help level the playing field a bit."

Astrid cocked her head to one side. "I'm listening." Phantom played his next card. "This next contest requires me to present a weapon, to prove how well I can protect Shadow, but I have neither the funds, nor the means to get one. If you can somehow aid me in this, I would be indebted to you and could later repay you with whatever it is you desire."

Astrid thought about it for a few moments, weighing her options. Finally she came to a decision. "Trader Johan will arrive tomorrow in the afternoon down at our dock. He mostly comes to us with minor supplies and information, but I now he has a stash of exotic weapons on his ship." She began, her tone below a whisper.

"His preferred currency is gold, but he also trades in fine and semi-precious gems for those weapons. There's a stream that begins at the top of the mountain where you can find all sorts of gems in the water. It's an old stash from some long ago raider or pirate, with enough there for a small fortune. It should take you about half the day to get up there and back with enough to trade with Johan. He probably won't let you near them or deny having them at all since he doesn't know you, but he will sell one to me if I ask. You give me whatever you get from the mountain stream, and I'll use it to buy one of those weapons. But whatever I don't trade, I get to keep." She bargained.

Phantom smirked and nodded. "Her preferred weapons are swords, mostly two handed or long range since she can use her claws for close combat. Lightweight and swift, meant for speed, not power shots." He said, and held out his hand to seal the deal. She grasped his hand and shook it. But before she let go, he brought her hand up to his fanged mouth, his hot breath tickling her knuckles.

"It seems that we are in accordance, Lady Astrid. I thank you for your assistance." He said before planting a kiss on her hand. She could feel those dangerous fangs against her skin, and his moist lips making her blush red.

His devilish silver eyes made her feel hot and flushed, and the memory of him shirtless on the beach made her cheeks tinge red. He smirked and let go of her hand, nodded at her politely and winked, then walked off towards the warm fire for a drink.

.

 **So, what do you think of Astrid being Phantom's ally in this? How far will she go to get Hiccup for herself?...**

 **I love those reviews, they make me write faster. Until next time!**


	24. the second contest

Phantom woke before dawn the next day, rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes, pushing away the grogginess caused by too much drink from the night before. He had a task to accomplish and he wouldn't let anything stand in his way. He would use every skill and resource he had available to beat his rival in this next contest.

He made a quick breakfast and set out before the sun had risen, his goal in mind: the mountain top. He hiked his way up the mountain, jogging most of the way and only taking small breaks when he absolutely needed to. The journey still took hours, but in his mind, it was well worth it, as long as he beat that scrawny pest of a Viking.

True to Astrid's word, the river he followed lead to a pool right at the top of the mountain, and situated deep within the waters, hundreds of gems glittered in a variety of colours.

He set his bag down on the ground next to him and stripped off most of his clothing. He removed his leather vest, undershirt, boots and pants, setting them next to the empty bag, then throwing the bag over his shoulder and diving into the water. The water was absolutely freezing against his skin, but he pushed on, diving under the water and collecting as many gems as possible before he had to come up for air.

He did this over and over again until his lungs burned and he could take no more. The bag was full to the brim and dragging him down under the water, and the current battered him around until he could not tell which way was up.

Desperately, he dragged himself to the surface, gasping for breath and weak from swimming, then pulled his heavy form to the edge of the pool.

Surely he had enough now? His bag was full of fine gems, worth enough gold to buy a sword for Shadow to win him this next contest. It had to be. He couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't keep diving for gems, and could carry no more. He needed to get back to the Dragons Edge and meet Astrid.

He climbed out of the water, washing off the remaining dirt and drying himself off before redressing and beginning the long journey back to the base.

.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was rushing around inside his forge, managing multiple projects at once, never stopping to take a breath. He had worked tirelessly from dawn until midday without stopping once and was about ready to drop from exhaustion. Usually, he was used to working hard from morning 'til lunch, but after focusing on four projects non-stop, it was about time he took a break.

So far, he was half way through making Shadow's gift for today, her gift for tomorrow was still in pieces, and the final gift still had a lot of work to go, but was taking shape. He wasn't sure if he would manage making them all, being only given a day for each of them. It would be a close call.

He decided to give himself a break and go down to the docks after lunch to see what trader Johan had brought with him. He was expecting a shipment of maps of further away lands, and any information on Dagur or Grey, so hopefully the trader had something for him today.

After setting down his project and cleaning up slightly, Hiccup left his forge to head over to the clubhouse. Astrid was already there in the corner, working on something privately, so he didn't disturb her and went over to the central fire to grab a piece of meat roasting over a spit. He then moved over to a seat in the corner to enjoy his lunch and rest before meeting Johan.

Not long after, his rival male waltzed in, carrying a large and obviously heavy bag over his shoulder. Hiccup didn't speak to him, in favour of staying silent in the corner and observing him without being noticed. Phantom didn't even acknowledge him and went straight over to Astrid. That seemed quite strange to Hiccup, since the male Black Moon seemed quite distant from his team of riders. But the two of them seemed to be quite friendly towards each other, with no obvious tension or hostilities between them.

Hiccup stopped caring and went back to his lunch. Right before he got up to put his plate away and go down to the docks, he saw Astrid leave, carrying the same bag that Phantom had when he came in.

.

Once he got down to the docks, Trader Johan was just tying off and setting the gangplank down so they could come aboard. Hiccup smiled and went on board immediately. "Good to see you again master Hiccup. Doing well up here on your own?" he asked happily.

"As well as we can with a few rogues on the loose. I don't suppose you have some information on those particular madmen and dragon hunters, do you Johan? We could really do with some leads." Asked Hiccup.

"Straight to the point and right into business, I like that. I came across a few of my own informants, who are quite reliable sources, and came up with some rather important information if I do say so."

Hiccup was instantly intrigued. "Go on." He said.

"One of them mentioned crossing paths with a certain madman that we all know too well, and that new fellow too, the one who chartered my ship to bring him North. It seems that the two of them are in some sort of alliance, using each-others skills and resources to gain an advantage over you. But there seems to be a rift between Dagur and Grey, so their alliance isn't entirely stable. My informant tells me that each of them have a different main target in mind when it comes to attacking you and your group of riders."

If Dagur and Grey were working together, that couldn't mean anything good. Dagur had an armada at his back, and a whole lot of crazy going on inside his head, making him unpredictable and dangerous. Grey on the other hand, was just one man, one man with enough knowledge and experience around Black Moons than anyone else apparently. The two of them combined could mean big trouble.

"Dagur's main objective is capturing you and your Night Fury, so he can use you and your knowledge of dragons to seize control of the archipelago, whereas Grey only has one target in mind and couldn't care less about you. He's after your girl Shadow, and that other shapeshifting dragon that came north."

Hiccup thought for a moment, trying to think of how he can use that information to his own advantage, but Johan caught his attention again.

"My informant overheard something quite dire, Master Hiccup. He said to me that Dagur the Deranged was planning on handing over some of his larger ships to Grey the Dragon Hunter, so he could attack your base and kill his quarry. The only trouble is, I don't have any idea when he might attack."

Hiccup's eyes went wide and his face went white. An imminent attack wasn't something that they wanted to deal with, and they didn't have the numbers to stand against large amounts of ships. But they had two Black Moons on their side, and they were formidable opponents against any army. Hopefully, they had enough firepower to withstand an attack.

Johan and Hiccup talked for a little while longer until Hiccup decided to go back to his work. But before he did, he took a slight detour over to the stables to be with Toothless for a bit, to make sure he didn't feel neglected. That was when he noticed Astrid coming back from the docks. He was about to call out to her and say hi, but he froze for a moment.

She was carrying a very large item over her shoulder, looking obviously like a longsword, and the bag at her hip, the same bag that Phantom was carrying earlier, was much lighter.


	25. gotta run

**IM STILL ALIVE! DONT WORRY EVERYONE, I STILL LIVE. I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry its been so long, but the end of school had come and I needed foll 100% focus on everything. But now that I've graduated, I'M BACK BABY! I know this has been a long awaited chapter, and Im sorry its taken so long. I hope you can all forgive me.**

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Hiccup wasn't going to let him win. No way. He had to beat Phantom, because Shadow was his, and he was hers. Phantom would not be allowed to get in the way. He had to make something that could best that stupid dragon. And he would work non stop until he got it.

So there he was, back in his forge, hammering and shaping metal like his life depended on it. This idea had to work or Phantom would gain the lead. But the problem was, he had never attempted anything like this before. Sure, he had designed and built Toothless' saddle which had many moving parts, but this was a whole other thing, and still a prototype.

Shaping metal was easy if you knew what you were doing, but creating moving parts that flowed seamlessly together was quite a difficult task to accomplish. His latest project had been inspired by some Timberjacks he saw in the woods a while ago, their razor sharp wings fascinated him, and Hiccup wanted to attempt to harness that same ability for all his riders.

His third gift for Shadow was the first ever prototype wing blades for flight combat, designed to shift and move with her wings and sharp enough to hopefully cut through anything solid, especially enemy armour. He doubted they could cut through a full grown tree like a real Timberjack, but they should do the same sort of thing.

But the hardest part was creating blades that could blend almost seamlessly with the bone structure of her wings. He had to create separate blades that all linked together like chainmail, with a blade on one of the edges. Being a prototype meant that it was nowhere near perfect, but given his time frame, it would have to do. Until he could make another set.

All through the day he worked, and his anxiety continued to grow. He wanted to see Shadow and be with her, but he couldn't stop his work if he wanted to beat Phantom. But the urge to be with her was strong. He wanted to be with his intended.

Maybe he could go and see her, if he claimed that he needed to measure her wings to make the wing blades the right size. That could work. That would give him a good reason to be with her.

With a smirk, he leapt up from his task and ran towards her, only stopping once and running back to grab a measuring tape. He made it to the entrance to the Dragons lair and crept inside, his heart beating faster and faster the further he went. He found her deep inside the caves, down by the underground springs were she was drying her hair by the waters edge.

He stopped moving by the cave entrance to marvel at her beauty. Her back was turned to him and completely bare above her hips. Water trickled down her back, over her scales as she worked to dry her hair after her bath. She turned her head towards him when she sensed his presence and exposing her bare collarbone to him.

"Hiccup, what are you doing in here?" she said. Suddenly all the words he had planned in his head failed him. His mind went completely blank.

"Uh…"

"If anyone finds you in here, who knows what they would do. Devil forbid that Phantom finds you here." She said.

Hiccup gulped, imagining stumbling across the powerful male, with Shadow in her current state. Suddenly, being with Shadow in the Dragons lair probably wasn't the best idea. But he couldn't bring himself to leave.

"I um… I just wanted to see you. I've had to work non stop because of these contests and I haven't been able to spend time with you." He said softly.

Unconsciously he rubbed the back of his neck and swallowed. "Can I uh… Can I ask something?" he stammered. "Its for one of my gifts to you."

"Um, sure." She said shyly.

"Do you mind if I measure your wings? I'm working on something and need to make sure they fit." He said. She gave a small smile and nodded, opening her wings slightly.

Hiccup cautiously walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, down her back and over her wings. She shivered from his touch, not because of cold, but because of the heat from his hands caused by the forge. Her cold skin and scales contrasted to his fiery flesh.

His hands ghosted over the muscles in her wings, from the shoulders to the wrist joint, and down over the membrane of her wings. He took measurements lazily, uncaring almost as he touched her. Trailing his fingers over her back and scales. She leaned back into him as he stepped closer, pressing her back against him.

Hiccup gulped, but continued on, his confidence spurring him on to touch her more. To be more rebellious. His mind said one thing, but the blood in his veins wanted him to do another. Not fully in control of himself, he leaned down to her neck and nipped the skin there. His hands didn't dare move to touch her bare front, but stayed on her wings, trailing up and down, remembering every curve, every muscle, every joint and bone, while his lips did another.

His hot breath against her skin made her blood rush and emotions spike, her natural scent tickled his senses allowing him to read exactly what she was feeling and thinking. He used his teeth to nip at her neck, over that spot where he marked her before.

His hands ghosted down her back and over her hips, touching the scales protecting her skin. She made a small noise in the back of her throat that made him shudder. He gripped her tighter.

Lazily trailing his teeth over the bite on her skin, he growled softly against her and let his teeth bite down and mark her flesh.

"Hiccup. That might not be a good idea right now…" she groaned huskily. "As much as would love it if you continued, Phantom will be able to smell any changes on me if he gets too close. And I don't want him provoking a fight."

Groaning, Hiccup pulled away, licking the last remnants of her blood off her skin. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Shadow wrapped her wings around herself and turned to face him, eyes filled with unbridled desire. Hiccup's eyes trailed down, straining to look at her exposed chest that was being hidden from his sight by her wings. Oh how he wanted her all to himself. If only Phantom wasn't a pressing issue. He looked back up to her face, more specifically, those gorgeously tempting lips.

He leant forward to press his own against hers, savouring the taste of her and biting her lower lip. She responded eagerly and opened her mouth to him, entwining her tongue with his and running it along his teeth. He growled lowly in his throat and kissed her more fiercely, bringing his hand up to entwine in her hair and grab her by the horns to hold her closer, while his other grabbed her hip to hold her against him.

But the sounds of footsteps coming towards them had them breaking apart. Shadow sniffed the air and her eyes widened in horror. "Its Phantom." She hissed. "Quick, hide."

Hiccup panicked and had no idea where to go. That was, until Shadow grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him into the hot-spring. He barely managed to take a breath before he was forced under, and barely a moment before Phantom walked in for his bath.

The ghostly drake thankfully didn't notice him under the water, but he did sense something was off. Shadow acted strangely and didn't look at him. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"No, nothing's the matter. My bath just took a bit longer than I thought." She said. "Ill be out in a few minutes, just let me get dressed."

"Alright…" he said. But something seemed off. There was a lingering sent in the air that made him think that she was lying to him. She shifted awkwardly and kept one side of her body hidden, and her tail was still in the water and unmoving.

On edge, he moved to the other side of the bathing room to set down his towel and soaps while he sniffed the air. It smelt strongly of her, which was normal, but there was something off about it. The room smelt faintly of lust, and something else.

He was about to turn around to allow her to get dressed, when movement below the water caught his eye, and something jumped up with a splash. Hiccup emerged out of the water breathing heavily and completely soaked. At the same time, Shadow turned around with wide eyes, and Phantom saw a fresh bite mark adorning her collarbone.

The two makes locked eyes, Phantom's blazing with fury while Hiccup looked sheepish and guilty. His eyes moved to Shadow's and he smirked.

"Well Shadow, I hate to love you and leave you, but I gotta run. Seeya later gorgeous." he said. before anyone could move, he jumped out of the water and bolted down the hallway, dropping water everywhere. Phantom chased after him, but slipped on the floor and hit the ground with a loud thump, while Hiccup laughed and continued running.


	26. the third contest

**As my way of saying sorry for all this time ive been away, I wrote another chapter to keep the story going. one of the main reasons why i didnt bother to continue writing is because I got so bored of the contests, but thankfully, they will be over soon. the next chapter is going to be a little scandalous because of Phantom's attempt to throw Hiccup off his game. Also, in order for me to write the next chapter, I need to know exactly what your opinions are of things getting more heated and M rated in the way of romance. hehehe. anyway, leave a review and I will be exceptionally thankful.**

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After the incident in the hot-springs in Dragons Lair, Shadow, Phantom and Hiccup stayed well away from each other. Well, Phantom was _trying_ to hunt Hiccup down, but the young Viking was too smart to be caught so easily. By now, Phantom was well and truly pissed off.

That scrawny little Viking was in no way worthy of _his_ Shadow. The Dragoness rightfully belonged to _him_ , and him only. Humans and Dragons didn't make good pairs, especially Black Moons and humans. In a few decades, Hiccup would be dead, and this whole issue would be all for naught. Unless Hiccup was somehow magically turned into a Black Moon dragon, then his mortal lifespan would end while the dragons lived on.

Couldn't she see that? That they were better suited for each other? Not only was Phantom a male of the same species, he was also from a purebred line. His own father was one of the five dragon generals, just like her. That in itself should be reason enough for her to choose to court him instead of that runt. Sure, Hiccup was the son of a chief, but Phantom was the son of a general.

Why she liked that toothpick over him, he didn't know, but he was determined to show her the error of her ways. Phantom would prove to her who was better.

Determined to win the next challenge, the ghostly drake stalked into the forest.

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Half an hour before sunset, both males were racing towards the entrance to Dragons Lair, gifts in hand, hoping they would not be late. If Hiccup was honest with himself, he was unsure that the wing blades he was presenting would guarantee another victory. Because of that detour he took to see Shadow again, he lost precious time to complete the blades. They were still prototypes and would need to be tested and remade over and over again before they were perfect.

Phantom on the other hand, looked smug. He was sure his gifts would get him a win. He was sure that Hiccup didn't know about every part of their culture, so he exploited this fact, and planned on presenting Shadow something that Hiccup would never have the nerve to do.

Three Terrible Terrors trailed behind him like obedient pets, unwavering as they followed him. These three Terrors happened to be the same ones that spoiled his chances of winning the first trial. They were the ones who ate two of the boars he hunted down another three. After hunting them down, intimidating them and cashing in their debt to him, they were now his loyal servants. Servants that he would give to Shadow to use as she saw fit.

If there was one thing that Black Moons loved, it was having others indebted to them. Every Black Moon had servants at some point in their lives, and used them for many different reasons. In fact, Phantom knew that Shadow herself had bound Hiccup to her as her own servant at one point, and used him and his own life to get herself out of what was surely an attempt on her life.

Servants were the norm in their culture, and these three souls would surely fetch a good price, even if they were just Terrible Terrors. Phantom was sure of a win.

The teens gathered outside of Dragons Lair looked at him disapprovingly as he turned up with a red, orange and yellow Terror behind him, but his warning look silenced any words on their lips.

Hiccup handed his gift to Fishlegs, the wing-blades bound together and covered in fabric to keep the razor sharp blades from cutting him. Phantom looked down at the three Terrors and jerked his head towards Astrid, growling at them in a command to follow her to their new master. Obediently, the tiny dragons walked after the Shield-maiden into the depths of the Dragons Lair.

As soon as the gift bearers were out of sight, Phantom jerked his head towards Hiccup and growled a warning. He had in no way forgiven the boy for sneaking in and seeing Shadow, especially after he scented the air and saw his mark on her skin. The runt was overstepping his boundaries and if he didn't stop, the dragon trapped within Phantom would break free and claim what was rightfully his, and wouldn't show any mercy to the dragon rider, or anything that got in his way.

Hiccup glared back and bared his teeth as well, growling lowly in his throat. He refused to back down to the ghostly drake, and acted as his equal so he knew he meant business.

That smug look in his eyes would be the death of him, Phantom swore. He could see deep into those deep forest green eyes and knew that he didn't regret going down to see Shadow, breaking the rules, and purposely agitating him. Oh how Phantom wanted to claw that look off his face.

Maybe he could plot something against the runt to throw him off his game. It would be an absolute pleasure to watch him spiral down in defeat. Yes, he thought, he would plot something to knock him down a few pegs to ensure his own victory.

Grinning wolfishly, Phantom turned his murderous gaze back to Astrid, who had just reappeared from inside the Dragon's lair.

"It's a close call, but ultimately, Phantom is again the victor." She said.

Phantom smirked, revealing razor sharp fangs and basked in his victory while he watched Hiccup storm off. The young Viking would probably loose many precious hours sleep over his loss, but as long as he worked himself into exhaustion, that suited Phantom just perfectly.


End file.
